Round Two: A Naruto Time-Travel Story
by Corruptmonk
Summary: Time-Travel Story. Naruto died in the Fourth Shinobi War. Kami granted him a boon, returned him to his body with his and Kurama's memories of the future intact. This time, Naruto vowed to do things differently. Powerful Naruto, Powerful Team 7, No Bashing, Not Yaoi, No ships as of yet. Slight AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

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**Summary: Time-Travel Story. Naruto died in the Fourth Shinobi War. Kami granted him a boon, returned him to his body with his and Kurama's memories of the future intact. This time, Naruto vowed to do things differently. Powerful Naruto, Powerful Team 7, No Bashing, Not Yaoi, No ships as of yet. Slight AU.**

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******Round Two: A Naruto Time-Travel Story  
**

**Chapter 1**

** Return, Re-Learn, and Reunion**

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Naruto was floating. He didn't know where he was or what he was doing floating around without a care in the world but he knew one irrefutable fact – he died.

That's right; he, Uzumaki Naruto, died. He couldn't fully stop Madara and Obito's plan. Not because he was killed, not because his skill wasn't up to snuff. No, he died because he overestimated his body in using Kurama's chakra. As he was about to deal the final blow using an overpowered, oversized Kyuubi-powered _Rasenshuriken_, his body simply shut down allowing Obito to command the Juubi to obliterate his body in a single _Imari_ while in mid-air.

Naruto knew that even with his unshakable determination, there was no way to escape death. He was dead and he left his friends behind to defeat the Juubi. He believed in their success but he knew that lives would be lost in the process.

He didn't know how long he was floating around in the darkness. He tried to delve into his mindscape to see if Kurama was still there but couldn't because he could no longer feel his partner. That thought made him sad since that was another promise he didn't fulfill.

"_What would you do if you were offered a chance to do it all over again?" _

Naruto was startled when a voice spoke in his head.

"_What would you do if you were offered a chance to do it all over again, Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto?" _the voice asked again.

"If I am given another chance to save my precious people then I'll take it." Naruto answered without a second thought, his determination behind his voice.

"_I see, along with this offer, if you were offered a boon, anything from powers to a favor, what would you ask to aid you in this task?"_ the voice asked, this time with a hint of humor.

Naruto was silent as he pondered the question. What gift would he ask for? What favor would be important enough to help him? A grin appeared on his face as he answered.

"I would ask for Kurama and my memories of the future."

The voice didn't answer for a few minutes before a bright light engulfed him.

"_Done. Good luck, Child of Prophecy. Good luck, Naruto."_ the voice boomed but Naruto sensed the underlying love and kindness that made him feel warm and wanted. Naruto knew then that he was offered a chance by Kami, and this time around, he wasn't going to fail. He was going to make sure that everything turns out good for everyone.

He was Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto. He was going to succeed, believe it!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kami gave herself a mental pat on the back for a job well done. The first part of the prophecy she gave to the toads was complete. It was part of her game plan that the Child of Prophecy, her chosen one, would return because he lacked the mental aptitude and training to achieve what she wanted in the previous timeline. Now, the second part of the prophecy was in play and she couldn't help but give out a giddy laugh at the thought of all the chaos her little blonde jinchuuriki would do on this timeline.

Realizing that she could make this better and ensure that her child would succeed in the task she laid out in front of him, she released a pulse of power to give the blonde a helping hand.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

All over the Elemental Nations, eight beasts of power were startled when a stream of memories flowed into their minds. They recognized the energy signature that came with the memories and they all instinctive knew what to do.

The Wheel of Destiny turns for one Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Naruto woke up with a groan, trying to remember what happened to him. One moment he was floating in nothingness, spoken to by a melodious voice that he knew came from Kami, then engulfed in a really bright light and nothing. He opened his eyes to see the ceiling of his run-down apartment. He mentally cheered that he was back to set things right but he wasn't prepared when a gruff voice interrupted him.

"_**Would you mind toning it down, kit. You're giving me a migraine."**_

Naruto paused when he recognized the voice in his head. He did the only thing he could. He immediately went into his mindscape, appearing in front of a large cage, ran in between the bars, and jumped with all of his strength into the face of one startled bijuu.

"KURAMA!"

Kurama chuckled before plucking out a happy Naruto from his face and placed him down on the watery ground. He was quite surprised that he was still alive since the last thing he remembered was him and Naruto being vaporized by the Juubi's potent Imari. He didn't know why he was still alive; judging from the boy in front of him, they were in the past. Was it all a dream or did they really travel back in time?

"**You know, kit, you can't just seem to stop from doing the impossible**." Kurama said in an awed tone before chuckling in amusement.

"Huh?" was all Naruto said with a tilt of his head in confusion.

"**I don't know what happened but from the looks of it, we are back in the past. You look like a 10 year old." **the bijuu said bluntly, speculatively eyeing his partner's rather diminutive form. **"I think it would be safe to say that you ARE 10 years old, give or take a few months."**

Naruto gave the fox a skeptic look before looking down at his body. The fox was right, he was definitely small and he recognized the clothes he was wearing. He clearly remembered that the orange shirt and blue pants he was wearing was given to him by the Sandaime on his 10th birthday but he lost it a few months later after making a mess of it during his pseudo-training. He saw his reflection on the water at his feet and could help but curse.

"Shit."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"**So let me get this straight. You remember floating in the void and you heard a voice in your head asking what you would do if offered a second chance. You answered that you'd take it and do it right this time. The voice then asked what gift or favor you want. You answered by making sure that yours and mine's memories of the future are intact. The next thing you know, you find yourself alive in your apartment before coming into the mindscape when you heard my voice. Did I leave anything out?" **Kurama asked with disbelief. It would seem that not only was his partner lucky, he was also blessed considering Kami herself granted him a second chance and a boon. He was also touched that the boy asked for nothing but their memories instead of ultimate power. The boy was definitely a fool to waste such a chance but he was a lovable and kind fool.

He was _his_ fool and Kurama wouldn't have it any other way.

"Yep." Naruto said cheerfully before his face turned serious, one that Kurama recognized as the boy's 'Game Face'. "I think we need to plan this carefully. If we are going to beat Madara and Obito, and stopping the Juubi from being resurrected, we need to stick to the timeline and make sure that all preparations are in place."

"**Agreed. The events leading up to before the Juubi must be maintained to ensure that we have full control. If we deviate from the timeline then you can be sure that something new will happen. I take it that you're not putting on your 'idiot mask' this time around?"** Kurama asked mildly. He knew that Naruto only acted the knucklehead ninja because he knew what would happen if he showed everyone that his brains weren't just fluff. The civilians would practically have a field day over it. This time, however, the boy seemed to be deciding against it.

"I think it's time that Konoha learns of the real Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto declared with a glint in his eyes. "Kurama, can I rely on you to help me set things right? I know I'm not the smartest bloke on the block so I will need your input if we plan to make this right."

"**I have your back, kit. You're **_**my**_** partner after all."** Kurama said with a huge grin on his face.

"Thanks, partner." Naruto grinned. "Now all we need to do is to get you out of that cage."

"**That's impossible at the moment."** Kurama said with a grunt.

"Eh?"

"**You're currently 10 years old, kit, so you don't have the key to open the lock. The only way for you to acquire the key is to summon the toads. As it stands, the only way for you sign their contract is during the one-month break before the finals of the Chuunin Exam when you meet that perverted sensei of yours."** Kurama answered, pointing out to the boy that he didn't signs the Toad Contract yet. Hell, the boy wasn't even a shinobi yet.

"Darn it. But I can still train using your chakra right?" Naruto asked, frowning as he tried to work around the training plans he had in his head. He already thought of using shadow clones to speed up his learning curve while he concentrates on improving his body's adaptability and resistance to Kurama's chakra. Oh well. He was always good at improvisation anyway so this wasn't anything new.

"**Why do you need my chakra?"** Kurama asked, confused. The boy already had chakra in spades so what in the world was the boy planning?

"The reason why we failed is because my body wasn't accustomed to using your chakra. My body simply shut down when I did the _Rasenshuriken_ to destroy Obito, Madara, and the Juubi. I was thinking that if I trained with your chakra every day, my body would eventually get used to your energy so I can last longer with it without breaking down." explained Naruto to a rather intrigued bijuu. "Heck, with my healing factor, it's quite possible that I can stay in Tailed Beast Mode for hours without getting tired or my body shutting down on me. That's way better compared to the 5-minute limit in the previous timeline."

"**Hm, that's a good idea but you don't need to open the gate in order to use my chakra. Well, you do if you plan to go Nine Tails Chakra Mode or the Tailed Beast Mode but anything lesser won't require releasing me from this prison."** Kurama pointed out. Seeing the confused look on the boy's face, he decided to explain. **"If you remember, the first time you used my chakra was during the Wave Mission when you encountered Haku. Granted, I was trying to control you that time so you succumbed to the bloodlust."**

"Oh. You mean I can use your chakra now without me blacking out and you controlling my body?" Naruto said with a sly grin on his face mimicked by the bijuu.

"**Nah, considering that I now know that Madara and Obito is out there with their evolved **_**Sharingan**_**, I definitely don't want to get out since they can easily control me. With me inside you, there is no way for them to do so. Besides, I like you and we both promised each other to be partners so I have no problems with you using my chakra. However, I will be limiting the chakra use since I don't want you to rely on it too much."**

"You don't have to worry about that, partner. I will only use your chakra as a last resort. Besides, considering that I'm still 10 years old, I still have 5 more years to train before I graduate from the Academy. That was my original plan - train as hard as I can during the Academy years while masking what I can do to avoid suspicions." Naruto said seriously making Kurama nod in agreement.

"**Good, I will also be doing the same thing myself but this time around, I'm going to give you something that I haven't done before."**

"What's that?" Naruto asked curiously, not knowing what his partner was trying to say.

"**Jinchuuriki's by nature acquire the traits of the bijuu they hold. For example, Shukaku allows Gaara to control sand. Matatabi allows her jinchuuriki to control intense flames. Chomei grants his jinchuuriki to manifest his wings to fly. Even the slug gave his container the ability to use bubbles. Each of my brothers can give their hosts a unique skill as part of the package of being containers. I didn't give you one because I was…um…unwilling at that time, refraining myself from modifying your body to grant you the ability. This time, however, I'm not going to make the same mistake. Since we have a mission, withholding a power that would prove useful to our survivable is just a recipe for disaster."**

"Whoah! That's great. What ability are we talking about here?" Naruto asked excitedly. He was somewhat confused as to why he didn't display similar powers as with the other jinchuuriki. Now he knew why. A thought occurred to him. "Hey, isn't my advance healing factor already a jinchuuriki trait?"

Kurama shook his head in negative.

"**No. Actually, your healing factor comes from the Yang Chakra sealed inside me as it continues to bleed into your system in small increments. As you know, Yang Chakra is called Light or Life Chakra since it is connected to the physical realm. The Yondaime used the **_**Shiki Fuujin**_** to separate my Yin and Yang chakra, sealing the Yin Chakra into the Shinigami but leaving the Yang Chakra since it is too much for the entity to consume. Because of the Yang Chakra's life giving properties, you acquired a fast healing factor as a side-effect."**

"Oh! I didn't know that. That's cool, I guess." Naruto mused. "So what ability are you going to give me?"

"**You already used this ability many times when using my chakra though I was the one controlling it at that time. This time, however, I will give you this ability so you can use it with your chakra. The ability is called the Chakra Shroud."**

"Isn't that that the thing covering me when I'm using your chakra?" Naruto asked, remembering the times he used Kurama's energy.

"**Yes, however, I'll tweak your DNA so you can use the shroud using your own chakra. Meaning, you can call it up anytime without needed my help. You will still need to train with it since it would be somewhat harder for you to manipulate your chakra to produce the shroud without me doing it for you. The shroud also comes with different abilities but we can talk about that later."** Kurama explained to an excited Naruto. "**Anyway, what's your plan? We might as well discuss it now since we have nothing better to do."**

"Hm, my plan so far involves training myself, getting back the skills I have before we died." Naruto said with a frown. "I can use _Kage Bunshin_ to get as much training as I could before the 5-year Academy period is up. I'll also train myself in your chakra and the Chakra Shroud while I'm at it. This time, however, I'm not going to limit myself to Sage Mode and my Rasengan variants. If I want to bring down Madara and Obito then I need to have a more flexible skill set to work with."

"**Good. I think you can make use of the library beside the Academy to help you with your education. I remembered Mito talking about it while I was sealed inside her."**

"Mito?" Naruto asked. This was the first time Kurama talked about his previous jinchuurikis.

"**Uzumaki Mito, the wife of Senju Hashirama, the Shodaime Hokage. The seal she used to restrain me was more…loose compared to the one your mother had. I could hear and see everything through her senses unlike your mother's that blocked me off entirely from the physical world. I remember her talking to the Shodaime about the construction of a library and having it contain the basics of shinobi arts for those who are willing to learn and improve themselves, minus clan techniques of course. You can check it out if there are books there to help you in your training. If not then we can work around what you know and try to ask advice from your sensei later."**

"Thanks for the advice, Kurama. Now, let's plan." Naruto said with a determined glint in his eyes mirror by the bijuu in front of him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Naruto spent most of the day planning with Kurama and making sure that there were no holes in their strategy to avoid putting a win on Madara and Obito's plot. They both decided that no one should know of their status as time travelers since that would only complicate the timeline if that person's action deviates from the norm. However, they would nudge key people to make things more advantageous for them.

The first thing they added to their to-do-list was to make sure that Haku and Zabuza survives during the Wave Mission - Haku for being Naruto's friend and Zabuza as Haku's master and precious person. Both would be a great help to Konoha, and Naruto was sure that the Sandaime wouldn't mind adding the two to the village's shinobi ranks if he asked.

The next would be Sasuke and Sakura. With his knowledge of the future, Naruto knew that both would become powerful with their innate abilities in the shinobi arts – Sasuke in Ninjutsu and Kenjutsu, while Sakura excelled in Taijutsu and Medical Jutsu. Nudging the two would be complicated but Naruto could work around that if necessary. Both were smart enough to see logic if he pointed them out.

Such was the case; Naruto decided to stay as the class idiot so he would end up being in their team. Kurama was a bit hard to convince regarding Sasuke but the bijuu couldn't deny the fact that an Uchiha in their camp would make things better in the long run.

In order to get this working, he needed to befriend the two during the Academy and get them to train with him. Naruto knew that this would be a challenge, a challenge he had no problems diving into.

The Chuunin Exam was also important; but this time around, Naruto would make sure that his team would pass in flying colors. He also needed to prepare for Orochimaru and to make sure that the snake wouldn't be able to mark Sasuke since that was the reason why the person he considered a brother went down the dark path.

He also needed to work with Jiraiya. He and Kurama realized that they needed to reveal what they know to the Toad Sage in order to access the key to release Kurama from the seal and giving Naruto the ability to access _Kyuubi Chakra Mode_ and _Tailed Beast Mode_. Thankfully, because of him and Kurama's partnership, he could go up to seven-tails without succumbing to the bloodlust.

Speaking of the snake, Naruto would make sure that the Sandaime survives the invasion. Since there was no way to stop it without revealing his knowledge of the future, he would have to prepare so he could bail out his surrogate grandfather before he ended up doing the _Shiki Fuujin_ and sacrificing his life just to get rid of Orochimaru's arms.

He also needed to deal with Gaara but he was sure that he could get it done easily thanks to his partnership with Kurama and knowing the boy's weakness in breaking him out of Shukaku's grip. He was playing with the idea of possibly recruiting Jiraiya to make a better seal for Gaara to minimize Shukaku's influence so his Jinchuuriki brother could sleep.

He didn't need to plan for Tsunade since, if his assumption was correct, the Sandaime would still bring her back as the Godaime since he was getting too old to keep his position. He was way due for a retirement after all.

Naruto and Kurama decided to end their planning for now since they had too much on their plate at the moment. If there was one thing both learned during the battle in the future, having too much in their mind would just cause them to miss important details that would give them a headache in the long run.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Naruto woke up sometime around dawn. The sun wasn't up yet but from the light on the horizon, it would be an hour or two away when the sun finally shows itself to the world. He was quite thankful that Kami had the foresight to return him to a time and place conducive to acclimating to a new surrounding after experiencing his death.

He was also thankful that Kami returned him at the start of the summer after his first Academy year. He frowned upon realizing that he would have to fail twice to be in the same class as his friends in the previous timeline. It might be humiliating considering what he was capable of but if he wanted this to work then he would have to suck his pride and deal with it.

Since it was already morning, he decided to take a bath and grab something to eat before his training– which ended up being ramen since he didn't have anything in stock for a healthy meal. That was one of the things he needed to change. Ramen was good and all but it ended up stunting his growth and power. If he wanted to excel in his training the he needed to eat well and eat right. He didn't have problems acquiring food since he could buy some with his orphan allowance, under _Henge_ of course, since some stores always kick him out, or hunt for some meat in the forest thanks to his survival training with Jiraiya in the wilderness. He also made a mental note to clean his apartment since it didn't suit his 18 year old mind living in a dirty place.

His morning routine done, Naruto exited his apartment and ran all the way to a secret training ground he knew behind the Hokage Monument. Since he wanted to hide his training then the usual grounds were off limits until he became Genin. Of course, Training Ground 7 was off limits even if he wanted to go there.

While running, Naruto noticed that he was a bit clumsy with his movements.

"_**That's because your 18 year old mind is not used to your 10 year old body. This is the reason why you need to train so you can move like you used to."**_ Kurama told him while relaxing behind his cage.

"_I thought as much."_ Naruto replied. _"Anyway, we're here."_

"_**Not much to work with if you ask me."**_ Kurama noted as he used his connection with Naruto to see through the boy's eyes. Naruto's secret training ground was a simple forest clearing behind the Hokage Monument. It was quite a distance from the village so it was hidden and he could train in peace. Thankfully, there were plenty of trees and a small river for chakra control exercises, and some boulders for strength and taijutsu training. All-in-all, it was enough to help the boy get things started_**. "So what are you going to work on first?"**_

"_I'll work on my coordination first. Physical exercise and doing some laps would be a great way to get back the control I have on my body. When that's done, let's see if I can still bring out the usual amount of Kage Bunshins to help me with chakra control."_ said Naruto while taking off his shirt since he didn't want to get it sweaty from his work out. He made a mental note to purchase some training gears to add to his closet. Civilian clothes wouldn't last a day of hardcore training so shinobi gears were in his list to buy.

"_**Carry on then. I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up if you need my help or something." said**_ Kurama before Naruto felt the mental link go down.

Naruto chuckled before starting his work out. The clearing was sizable, comparable to half of the Konoha Stadium, so he started with 20 laps of light jogging to get his mind used to working with his 10 year old self. It took him 2 hours to finish before starting with 10 laps of running at full speed. He was panting like a maniac after the last lap. He still had his legendary stamina but it was limited now thanks to how young he was. He wasn't worried though since training could fix that in a few years, if not months considering who he was carrying in his gut to speed up the process.

He took a 10 minute break to meditate before spending an hour going through the _Gama Ken_ since it was a good workout to get his muscle control back. After 5 hours of constant movement, he finally achieved full control over his body. He was sad that he lost his previous power and speed, vowing to continue his training to reach his previous strength and then some since he had an early start. He caught a few fish in the river for lunch and cooked them over a small fire as he relaxed on the soft grass. After lunch, he decided to see if his chakra was enough to perform his favorite technique.

"_Kurama, you up?"_ Naruto asked his tenant as he put out the fire on his make-shift stove.

"_**I am now. What do you need, kit?"**_the bijuu asked with a yawn.

"_I got full control of my body and I'm going to see if I have enough chakra for Kage Bunshin. Can you monitor my chakra levels and give me a bit of a boost just in case it dangerously low? I don't want to suffer chakra exhaustion just because I overdid it."_

"_**Sure. Go for it." **_Kurama assured him.

"_Here we go."_ Naruto clasped his hand together and started channeling his chakra. Nothing happened at first before waves of blue energy escape his body forming a small shroud around him, not noticing that the shroud was taking on a fox-like appearance. Kurama noticed it but decided against informing his host for now. _"What's the verdict?"_

"_**You have a fifth of the chakra reserve you had from your future self. If what I sensed is correct, you have slightly below when you first did the **_**Kage Bunshin **_**against Mizuki**_. _**Check your control over your chakra before performing the jutsu."**_ Kurama suggested as he continued to observing Naruto's chakra from within, ready to replenish just in case the boy overdid it.

"_Gotcha."_ Naruto agreed before bringing his chakra under control. He walked over to a tree and placed a foot on the trunk as he channeled his chakra to make it stick. He tested it a few times until he found the right amount for the exercise. He decided to walk instead of running up the tree unlike the first time he was taught by Kakashi-sensei. He wobbled a bit as he felt his control slip from time to time but he got it under control quickly so he didn't fall. He walked up and down a few times until he was confident that he had average control over his chakra. He'll have his clones work on the exercise later to fully master it again.

"Now let's see how many clones I can bring out." said Naruto as he made the hand sign for his trademark jutsu. _**"**__**KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU**__**!"**_

Smoke materialized around him before dispersing to reveal fifty smirking clones.

"_What's the damage?"_ Naruto asked his partner, panting slightly from the effort of the technique and controlling his chakra. He definitely need to master Tree Climbing and Water Walking again if he wanted his proficiency with the technique to return.

"_**Fifty percent chakra loss but I'm already refilling it now as we speak. I noticed that refilling is slow compared to when the seal was unlocked but we can get by."**_ Kurama reported, sending his chakra out in increments towards Naruto's coils to replenish the blonde's reserves without damaging his body.

"_Great. It worked then. I was aiming for something lower but I guess this is good enough with what control I have over my chakra."_ Naruto mused before turning to his expectant clones. "Alright guys, time to get our chakra control up. Half of you pick a tree and start climbing using chakra until you run out while the rest of you trying out Water Walking. Let's get to it, boys!"

"Hai!" the clones shouted before going to their respective tasks. Naruto could help but be amused at their antics before joining the tree climbing clones.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Naruto used the three months of break from the Academy to train himself physically. He took a page out of Rock Lee's book and used weights to augment his strength and speed. Kurama assured him that using weights early wouldn't hinder his growth since his healing factor would take care of it.

Trusting his partner, Naruto used _Henge_ to disguise himself and bought two pairs of weights – one for his hands and the other for his legs. This way, he was training his upper and lower body at the same time, getting twice the results he aimed for. He also purchased kunais and shurikens with what's left of his allowance since he needed to work on his accuracy as well.

Naruto planned his training program with a little help from Kurama. Morning would be for strength and speed training, first half of the afternoon for his accuracy with kunai and shuriken, and followed by _Rasengan_ training. Of course, his clones worked overtime in chakra control to supplement the re-learning of his father's signature move. This time, however, Naruto decided to re-train himself with the _Rasengan_ without a clone to help him produce the correct shape transformation.

Since he wasn't on a time limit, he trained himself with each step of the _Rasengan_ until he could do it in less than a minute and later try to bring it out instantly if possible. He didn't worry about the latter though since he won't be going to battle anytime soon.

Kurama pointed out, much to Naruto's delight, that the steps of the _Rasengan_ were chakra control exercise all by itself since it was purely shape transformation.

The first step was controlling and manipulating his chakra to produce different rotations within the space of his palm. The second step was controlling his chakra to produce the optimal power for the jutsu. The third step was using every focus and control he had to produce a dense coat of chakra around the spinning construct, thus completing the _Rasengan_.

With this discovery, Naruto's determination to master the technique shot through the roof since he now had another reason to get his father's jutsu mastered.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Naruto stood in the center of the clearing, his eyes closed and hands relaxed on his side. He was currently in a cocoon of potent red chakra that formed the shape of a fox, with the ears and tail being the most prominent feature. He grunted as his body twitched when a second tail started to form beside the first one. However, before it could fully take shape, the shroud dissipated before Naruto fell kneeling on the ground, gasping for air.

"That…was hard." murmured Naruto as he panted. He had no problem controlling Kurama's chakra in one-tail mode. However, going into two-tails was another matter. He was thankful that he and Kurama were in sync or the bloodlust would end up controlling him. As it was, it took all of his focus and willpower to manifest the second tail while controlling the raging inferno that was a bijuu's potent energy. It was difficult.

"_**Despite not being able to go into two-tails, you still did good, kit."**_ Kurama quipped from behind his cage, his voice sounding pleased at the result of the boy's training.

At Kurama's prompting during the second month of his training, Naruto started training with the bijuu's chakra so his body would adapt to it. Unlike the times that Naruto brought out Kurama's chakra to the fore in the previous timeline, the bijuu was controlling the output and ensuring that both of them were in proper sync so the inherent bloodlust of his energy wouldn't control his host. They had been doing so for a month now, and according to Kurama, Naruto was improving at an astounding rate thanks to his regenerative abilities and willpower.

"_Not really. I still can't form the second tail completely."_ Naruto said in a dejected tone.

"_**Stop that right now!" **_Kurama shouted. _**"You're still 10 years old, kit. Don't expect your body to completely adapt to my chakra even with the hours of training you put yourself through. Remember the first time you accessed my chakra when you fought Haku? You went berserk! This time, you can bring out the first tail while in full control of your mental faculties. If you keep up with this training, I'm sure that you can achieve the fifth or sixth tail when you graduate from the Academy."**_

"_But it was so easy before!"_ Naruto whined. Kurama rolled his eyes and huffed.

"_**Duh, it was easy before since your body was already mature enough to handle my chakra and thanks to the pervert's training, you were able to handle more. However, you're currently in your 10, almost 11 year old body so don't expect it to be the same as last time. Keep in mind that you're currently using the chakra of the most powerful bijuu. If you were handling Shukaku or Matatabi's chakra then you would have reached mastery already. However, since I am your bijuu…well, don't expect it to be easy as last time."**_ Kurama pointed out with a smirk on his face.

"_Fine fine."_ Naruto agreed, inwardly wincing at his whining. He was Uzumaki Naruto. Whining was beneath him, damn it. _"Anyway, when are you going to train me with the Chakra Shroud?"_

"_**When you can channel three tails of my chakra for an hour non-stop, then you can train with your Chakra Shroud."**_ Kurama replied immediately. The revelation surprised Naruto a bit.

"_Why do I have to wait until I master three tails to train the ability you gave me?"_ Naruto asked curiously.

"_**Despite the ability using your chakra instead of mine, the focus and willpower needed to maintain and use the shroud is similar to channeling three to four tails worth of my chakra. That's how powerful the ability is. Imagine Gaara's ultimate defense. Your shroud is of the same caliber and potency but not as sentient as your sand-using friend."**_

"_Ah. I guess that explains it."_ Naruto nodded in understand. _"So, should I continue training to achieve two tails since it's still early or take a break? How's my body coming along anyway?"_

"_**So far so good. No damage while maintaining a tail of my chakra for one hour. You didn't manifest the second tail because the surge of chakra that came with the increase in power destroyed your focus. I suggest that you slowly adjust to the surge until you get used to it by channeling small bits of my energy after one tail. That would solve your two-tail problem."**_ Kurama suggested while letting his chakra lose into his container's coils. _**"I suggest that you go into one-tail mode then slowly bring out two tails bit by bit. There's no rush. If you think that it's too much, stop the flow and maintain the current output. When you're accustomed to the power, give it a bit more juice. I'll give you control this time so you'll get used to it. Thank to your physical training, your body is getting used to the strain. Couple that with your healing; you won't have to worry about your body deteriorating anytime soon even if you manage to bring out three or four of the tails."**_

"_Thanks for the advice, Kurama. I'm going into one-tail mode now."_ Naruto said before a shroud of potent red chakra manifested around his body before turning into a fox cloak with one tail. Slowly, he started gathering more of Kurama's chakra for two tails. But instead of doing it one go, he did it bit by bit, observing and analyzing the surge of power that came with his partner's energy. He didn't know how long he was standing there concentrating with the energy as it surged through his body like an inferno but it was around midnight when he stopped his training and opened his eyes.

Naruto couldn't believe it; he spent eight hours in one-tail mode and an additional 25% of going into two-tails without his body breaking down on him. Kurama was grinning smugly from behind his cage at the boy's achievement.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A 12-year old Naruto yawned as he pushed himself off the bed. He was successful in failing his first two years in the Academy instead of just failing at the graduation. Now, he would be starting his first year for the third and last time since he had no intentions of failing anymore. He was now classmates with the future Rookie 9 so he was happy.

Naruto didn't waste his two years in failing the Academy. Thanks to his judicious use of clones, he would create around a hundred of them every morning, deploy ten of them to the library to read on various subjects under disguise, especially those related to the shinobi arts, while the rest would go back into the clearing to practice chakra control and hunt for some furs to be sold to the merchants that usually trades in the village once a month. He discovered the convoy by accident while returning to the village from his training ground and couldn't help but overhear some of them talking. His curiosity was peaked when one of them mentioned expecting high-quality furs and pelts to accommodate his orders from other countries.

Since he needed money for the necessities, Naruto decided to learn the fine art of hunting. He already knew how to hunt but skinning the animals for their fur and pelt was alien to him. Thankfully, one of his clones was able to find a book on that in the library so all he needed to do was practice. He screwed up a dozen of times before he was able to do it perfectly. It helped that channeling chakra through a kunai made it so that slicing through the skin was as easy as letting a hot knife cut through butter. He made a killing in selling furs once a month but he spaced that out since he didn't want to depopulate the surrounding forest of Konoha of its wildlife. He needed money but he wasn't that greedy to wipe them all out in one swoop.

It also helped that the furs he sold were of high quality since most of them were from the predators in the Forest of Death. Not only were the furs huge and perfect quality, they were quite durable as well. The merchants were praising him for such items though he didn't tell them where he got the furs since he didn't want his activities to reach the Hokage.

After two years, Naruto could safely say that he was a veritable knowledge of civilian knowledge and on the basics of the shinobi arts. He didn't know that reading was quite fulfilling and knowledge was useful for the mundane things – he was able to improve his apartment by doing repairs thanks to learning from a carpentry book, improving his plants and herbs from an apothecary book, hunting, and so on.

He was now familiar with the basics of the different shinobi arts and helped him plan out his future training if he wanted to be stronger for the challenges ahead. He noted that he was not interested in kenjutsu and genjutsu – the latter of which was the amount of chakra in his body that it was impossible to achieve perfect control over it and the former for not having the right weapon. He learned some tips to improve his taijutsu that greatly enhanced his command over _Gamaken_.

Ninjutsu interested him very much and the various books he read on the subject opened up the idea of possibly creating techniques of his own since it was rare to find Wind jutsus in Konoha. Being a Wind-natured shinobi, his option was to go to Suna and barter a Wind jutsu or two if he had something good enough of equal value to trade or come up with his own techniques. He chose the latter which started his intense study on Jutsu Creation theory and Nature Transformation. He didn't have any new jutsus in his arsenal as of yet but he decided to stick with the basics so he wouldn't encounter any problems later.

After taking a bath, he donned a pair of black cargo pants, dark blue muscle shirt, and a pair of shinobi sandals. He knew that he was deviating from his usual orange jumpsuit but he didn't care. Sure, he loved orange but his death practically changed his mind set. He didn't know why he persisted in wearing a jumpsuit that screamed "HIT ME, I'M HERE!" every time he went out on a mission outside the village.

He shook his head at the thought before making the usual batch of clones for his daily training and studies. He made a healthy breakfast of eggs, rice, and meat, and topped it off with a glass of orange juice fresh from the forest. He found a bunch of fruit trees a few kilometers outside the village walls and made it a point to take care of them since fresh fruits were a welcome part of his healthy diet without having to buy it from the hateful villagers.

He settled down to eat his breakfast as his thoughts whirled on seeing his friends again. It would be weird to see them as 12 year olds though he immediately squashed that thought since he was the same age as them.

The years in the Academy was going to be fun.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Naruto tuned out Iruka's monologue of Konoha's history. Instead, he was busy thinking about the rest of the Rookie 9 and what he needed to do to make sure that the future where he died in wouldn't come to pass.

It was then that Naruto realized that aside from him, Sasuke, and Sakura, the rest of the Rookie 9 played a minor hand in things to come, more so at their current age. However, they would be a great help if they became stronger than they were in the previous timeline.

Instead of focusing on all of them, Naruto decided to stick to his team since the rest could be molded by their respective senseis. For now, he needed to decide what to do with Sasuke and Sakura.

Naruto turned his head to look at the last loyal Uchiha of Konoha. The Uchiha Massacre definitely scarred his soon-to-be brother and best friend. Thanks to Itachi's _Tsukiyomi, _Sasuke travelled the path of destruction just because his older brother wanted to die by his hand. However, Naruto couldn't deny the fact that Sasuke became stronger because of it though he was sure that Sasuke would be stronger if given the right advice and incentive.

Naruto couldn't help but compare Team 7 to the Sannin. Team 7 was definitely similar to Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru.

Of course, Naruto as the Toad Summoner was Jiraiya. Sakura with her perfect chakra control and talent in Medical Techniques was Tsunade. Sasuke turning traitor because of a traumatizing event was Orochimaru's counterpart.

Naruto knew that if he wanted to improve Team 7 then he would have to start early if he wanted thing to work in his favor.

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**End of Chapter 1**

**Please leave a comment or a review. **

**Flames and suggestions are welcome. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi, folk. I'm stunned that I got a lot of good, and some bad, reviews and PMs on this new story of mine. Thanks for the lot of them since it gave me some ideas to work on, as well as supplying my muse with much needed juice (tee hee rhyme) to cough up another chapter. **

**Here are some questions from my readers that I think I should answer to get rid of some issues and plot holes:  
**

**1. Why does no one sense Naruto using the Kyuubi's chakra?  
**

** When I read the manga all over again and the info on wiki, I noticed that everyone can feel Kyuubi's chakra because of its malice, the negative emotions that comes with it. No one can sense Naruto using Kyuubi's chakra because Kyuubi/Kurama is no longer at odds with Naruto so he is holding a lot of the negative emotions back. However, if Naruto goes more than 5-tails, then some of those negative emotions would leak out so you can be sure someone would end up sensing them. So yeah, as long as he doesn't go up to 5-tails, then no one can sense him.  
**

**2. Is this going to be a bashing fic?  
**

** Nope, this is NOT going to be a bashing fic, except for the bad guys but that's a given. This is going to be a strong Team 7 fic. They're going places, baby. Yeah!  
**

**3. You going to bring in the other tailed beast or just Garra?  
**

** I'm still working on it but there is going to be a coalitions of the containers. I'm not sure when or how it will come to pass but there's going to be one. It just so happens that Gaara is the very first container Naruto meets in Canon. We shall see where the story will lead.  
**

**I think that's it for now. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to Review or send me a PM.  
**

**Now that's over and done with, enjoy the next chapter!  
**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

* * *

**Summary: Time-Travel Story. Naruto died in the Fourth Shinobi War. Kami granted him a boon, returned him to his body with his and Kurama's memories of the future intact. This time, Naruto vowed to do things differently. Powerful Naruto, Powerful Team 7, No Bashing, Not Yaoi, No ships as of yet. Slight AU.**

* * *

**Round Two: A Naruto Time-Travel Story**

**Chapter 2**

**The Start of a Team**

* * *

Naruto was now in his second year in the Konoha Academy with the rest of the Rookie 9. Since he wasn't acting like an idiot this time much to the shock of Iruka and the rest of the teachers, he made a lot of friends who treated him as part of the group. He didn't bother with the civilian-born children since they were already brainwashed by their parents to stay away from him. However, the clan heirs were a different matter entirely since Naruto knew that the shinobi clans honored the Yondaime's wish.

The blonde jinchuuriki realized that because of this change in attitude compared in the previous timeline, people treated him differently, like Sakura was no longer using his head as a training dummy and Sasuke no longer treating him like a brain-dead idiot.

In the previous timeline, this was a normal occurrence since he was so starved for attention that he considered Sakura to be his soul mate and always kept pestering her for a date. This action practically pushed Sakura away from him and was one of the reasons why Team 7 started out so bad. This time, however, he was simply friends with Sakura and conversed with her without getting in her way of showing her affections to her 'Sasuke-kun'.

He was also making some great strides with Sasuke. The boy was already his brooding self but Naruto already expected that. However, he knew how to push Sasuke's buttons to open up to him. After their first taijutsu spar, which Naruto was lucky to be paired off with Sasuke, the blonde gave the lone Uchiha a workout he would never forget. He let the Uchiha win by a point. This resulted in the two of them bonding through their fists, so to speak. Naruto knew that it wouldn't be long before he and Sasuke would end up training together and he was hoping to get Sakura included in their program to get Team 7 started.

Speaking of Team 7, Naruto decided that acting dumb and becoming the dobe of his class would be detrimental to his relationship with his teammates. Sasuke and Sakura were considered prodigies in their own right. Sasuke was talented in the shinobi arts and his mind set made it possible for him to learn faster than your average shinobi. Sakura was similar, her prodigious mind made it possible for her to learn things faster despite coming from a civilian stock. If he wanted to bond with the two then he needed them to see that he wasn't a dead weight.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Naruto was currently munching on an onigiri he made with Sakura while watching their friend practicing his family's trademark jutsu – the Grand Fireball. Sasuke was on the pier going through hand signs before blowing out a fireball from his mouth towards the river surface. Basing from his memories of Sasuke doing the technique during their battle in the Valley of the End, it came out a tad weak. Sasuke did it two more times before Naruto finally decided to interrupt.

"Yo, Sasuke. Can I ask you something about the jutsu?" Naruto asked while looking at the steam rising out of the water where Sasuke's fireball hit.

"What do you want to know?" Sasuke asked with a raised eyebrow. Naruto couldn't help but give himself a mental pat on the back for a job well done. Their daily spars and talking to each other practically pushed the brooding boy out of his shell. He now saw people as they were instead of treating them as inferiors. Heck, he was talking to his number one fan-girl and treating her as a person with Sakura extending the same courtesy thanks to Naruto pointing out to her that Sasuke wouldn't respect her if he kept acting like a fan girl. Of course, Sakura believed him since Sasuke nodded in agreement.

"I noticed that you're fireball looks a bit small compared to some of the shinobi I saw doing the same jutsu." Naruto pointed out making Sasuke fume.

"I'm not weak!" he snapped at the blonde.

"I didn't say you were." Naruto snapped back before a thoughtful look crossed his face. "I didn't say that to belittle you, Sasuke, but I overheard a Jounin-sensei teaching his team the same technique." This was a lie of course since he was basing the observation on his knowledge of the future and what he learned from many books he read in the Academy.

Sasuke calmed down when he heard this.

"What did he say about it?" Sasuke asked as he plopped down beside Sakura before grabbing an onigiri and taking a bite. He inwardly praised the blonde for his excellent cooking. He was getting tired cooking food on his own that came out average. Naruto was really a good cook and was more than happy to share his lunch with them every day. He wondered if Naruto knew a recipe or two on tomatoes. Tomatoes…drool.

"Well, according to the Jounin-sensei, the _Goukakyu no Jutsu_ is a C-rank short-range fire jutsu that usually comes out as a ball of fire or like a flame thrower depending on how you mold your chakra. He even demonstrated it and it really came out like a giant fireball. Yours looked like a fireball but I noticed that you lacked a bit of control with your chakra since it didn't look that solid."

"And?" Sasuke urged, looking intrigue at what the blonde was saying.

"When his team demonstrated it, it came out the same way though theirs were quite weak compared to yours." Naruto informed Sasuke who smirked. No matter what he did, Sasuke still had his superiority complex but he was working on it. "The sensei then informed his team that if they want to be successful in the technique, or any technique for that matter, they needed to properly control their chakra. Let me ask you this, what chakra control exercises have you mastered so far?"

"Hn, Leaf Sticking and Leaf Floating. You know that already since we were practically taught that at the same time." Sasuke said with a grunt before swallowing half of the onigiri whole and chewing on it.

"Sasuke-kun is right, Naruto. Are you saying that there are other chakra control exercises out there?" asked Sakura, curiosity in her voice. Naruto inwardly grinned while Kurama was giving him a thumbs up for a job well done. It would seem that they would be training together pretty soon.

"I think both of you know that I frequent the library, right?" Naruto asked causing Sakura and Sasuke roll their eyes before nodding. Both of them knew that Naruto was a bookworm, more so than Sakura. "Well, last year, I read a scroll on advanced chakra control exercises and gave them a try. Took me a year to get the both down but I was able to do so."

"What exercises are those?" Sasuke asked eagerly. Naruto chuckled. Sasuke might have his faults but he was a training nut to the extreme. Not as extreme as Gai and Lee though.

"Tree Climbing and Water Walking." Naruto answered calmly. This surprised the two since they had no idea what the blonde was talking about. "I take it that both of you don't know what I'm talking about?" Both shook their heads in negative, though their curiosity was now at an all time high. "Here, let me demonstrate."

Naruto stood up and walked towards the lone tree beside the river that was their usual hang out these days. He wasn't worried about people seeing him since no one was around at this time of the day. The area was part of the Uchiha district and not many ventured into the dead clan's territory without their hairs standing on end because of the massacre that happened years ago.

"This is the Tree Climbing exercise." Naruto said as he walked up the trunk of the tree easily, defying gravity in the process, and onto a branch with his feet alone. He couldn't help but chuckle at the dumbstruck look the two below were giving him. "According to the book, this chakra control exercise requires a small amount of chakra to be channeled to a solid surface for your foot to stick. Too much chakra then you'll get blown off and fall. Less chakra won't make your foot stick at all. The book said that if you master this exercise then you won't have any trouble learning any jutsu. Channeling chakra to the soles of your feet is difficult since there are no _tenketsus_ there to facilitate chakra release. If you can successfully control your chakra and release it there, then technically, you can release chakra in other parts of your body and always be in control."

Naruto then jumped off the branch to land on the surface of the water with a small splash. The two were now looking at him in disbelief as he stood on top of the water easily.

"This is the Water Walking exercise. This exercise uses the same principle as Tree Climbing but you're required to channel more chakra below the water surface to act as stilts to keep you afloat. Another variation is to create a solid platform of water using your chakra but that depends on your preference than an actual rule. This is more taxing than Tree Climbing because of two factors. One, you need more chakra to pull this off. The deeper the water, the more chakra is needed to stay afloat. And two, since water is always in motion, you are required to adjust the flow of chakra to maintain your balance." Naruto explained as he calmly walked to his friends before sitting down in front of them. "If you follow the Jounin's advice to his team then learning these two exercises would boost your chakra control to manipulate your technique to be smaller or even manipulate it to a degree on how you want it to come out."

The two didn't say anything but the pleading look on their eyes said it all.

"I take it you want me to teach you both?" Naruto asked mildly as he reached for the last onigiri on the box. He already knew what they were thinking and he could practically see the excitement bleeding from their pores. The grin on Sasuke and Sakura's face would make Lee and Gai's look tame.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

That was the day that Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke started training together, the unofficial formation of Team 7. The latter didn't know why but they seemed to click with Naruto, treating him like a confidante, a teammate. Naruto, however, knew the reason why since the three of them had this bond in the previous timeline. It just took a different catalyst but it still happened. However, the blonde knew that this bond would be better than the last one. No one was going to turn traitor this time around, he was sure of that.

They had been training for a year now and all three of them were into their third year, with them dominating the entire class much to Iruka's surprise.

Naruto and Sasuke were competing for the Rookie of the Year award but there was no animosity between. It was simple rivalry between friends and nothing else. Sakura had no problem holding on to the potential Kunoichi of the Year title since her training with Sasuke and Naruto practically made her one of the best female students in the Academy.

It was half a year into their training that each of them discovered their niche as they shared ideas, interests, and even sparring on occasions to see where they measured up. The trio knew that they were practically the strongest among their peers thanks to Naruto's advice and bookworm attitude, Sakura's research and unique insights, and Sasuke's clan library.

After much cajoling and brainstorming, Sakura and Sasuke ended up with training weights, but these were set to a lower level to avoid stunting their growth. Compared to Naruto, they didn't have a bijuu gifting them advance healing to counteract the weights' effect so they started small. Despite this drawback, they still improved by leaps and bounds.

They questioned Naruto why his weights were practically double compared to theirs. The blonde simply told them that he had been doing it for three years now so it was quite obvious that he already got used to it. Thankfully, that lie was easily accepted, making him sigh in relief.

Naruto thought that Kakashi would be in for a surprise if all three of them ended up in the same team. Kurama told Naruto that his gut feeling was telling him that Team 7 would still make an appearance though he couldn't explain why. Both simply let Fate worked its magic even though Naruto didn't believe in a set destiny other than the one you had a hand in. He does believe in Kami though.

Thanks to Naruto's knowledge of the future, he nudged his best friends towards fields that they would excel in.

For Sasuke, Naruto was able to make him realize that Fire wasn't his main affinity. Sure he was strong in it but his main affinity lay in Lightning, which was quite obvious when the chakra card Sasuke was holding wrinkled spectacularly before burning to ash.

Sakura's element was earth since it immediately crumbled to dust.

Naruto already knew his affinity but did the chakra paper test for the sake of his friends. He was surprised, however, when the paper were shredded into small pieces instead of being sliced in half. It would seem that his Wind affinity grew with his return from the future.

Now that they knew their elemental affinity, Naruto and Sakura practically devoured all the shinobi books in the library for fields that would fit them well. Thankfully, Sasuke opened up his clan's library to the two so they spent the weekends researching for ways to gain full control over their elements and branching out from there. Naruto didn't reveal that he knew that _Kage Bunshin_ technique so he stuck to reading the old fashioned way…one book at a time. He, however, contributed his skills in cooking by making them breakfast, lunch, and dinner during their weekend study sessions, much to Sakura and Sasuke's delight.

It was in their sixth month through their third year in the Academy that each of them finally found their niche in the shinobi arts.

Sasuke was an offensive-support type shinobi with his prowess in ninjutsu and genjutsu. Naruto nudged him to the use of weapons making Sasuke give an old chokuto his grandfather used to own a try. He liked it so much that he started learning kenjutsu and incorporated it into his training regimen. He wasn't a swordsman, far from it, but the way he handled his weapon showed grace and proficiency that only one with an inborn talent of the weapon could match. His grandfather's training journal also helped him in gaining mastery over the weapon.

In regards to his affinity, Sasuke was training his lightning to gain complete control over it. Thankfully, quite a lot of Uchihas in the past had lightning affinity so there were plenty of manuals in the clan library he could use to jumpstart his training over his element. He took to it like fish to water.

Sasuke, much to his delight, activated his bloodline in one of their many group spars. His _Sharingan_ activated when he was forced to keep up with Naruto's speed, which was far superior compared to his own due to the longer time Naruto trained with his weights, that and he was trying hard to avoid the blonde's attacks since they hurt like a bitch thanks to Naruto's strength training.

After an hour of trying to dodge the blonde's attacks, he noticed that the punches and kicks were coming in slow motion. At first he thought that Naruto was getting tired but that was proven wrong when Naruto shouted that his _Sharingan_ was up and running.

He was so happy that he treated Naruto to an eat-all-you-can buffet at Ichiraku much to the blonde's happiness and Sakura's annoyance since the latter was looking forward to Naruto's culinary creations that night.

Sakura, with her perfect chakra control, yet limited reserves, was strictly the support-type but she was determined to become an offensive-support taijutsu specialist when she heard from Naruto that Tsunade of the Sannin had monstrous strength on top of her hand-to-hand skills and godly medical techniques – all thanks to her perfect chakra control. Sakura was determined to achieve this feat even if it killed her so she started the change in her learning curve to include human anatomy and medical use of chakra. She didn't have a hard time getting the materials for it since the hospital was happy enough to encourage her by giving her access to medical scrolls and books in the hospital library. It also helped that she was the daughter of a civilian council member.

However, they hit a road block regarding her affinity since they lacked materials on anything related to the Earth element. In the mean time, Sakura decided to concentrate more on her speed, taijutsu, and medical techniques. She told the boys that she could easily branch out later if she wanted to so she'll just stick to the basics this time around.

However, the look in her eyes when she vowed to achieve Tsunade's strength made Naruto and Sasuke shudder since that would make her twice as deadly. The girl was already strong when she found out that her perfect chakra control allowed her to accurately time the release of the energy through her kicks and punches, adding more power to the attack. She wasn't as fast as Sasuke or Naruto but her power made up for the lack of speed. Add her intelligence to the mix; you get one fierce girl ready to give you the clobbering of a lifetime.

As her training partners, the two shuddered at the hell they would feel if Sakura achieved such a feat.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Naruto was nervous. He had been friends with Sakura and Sasuke for four years now and he knew that the two were suspecting that something was different about him. Some of the things that happened were out of his control that made his pseudo-teammates and best friends very suspicious.

One, Sakura voiced out that Naruto always healed faster than normal. She should know because she was already a skilled medic-in-training thanks to her knowledge of the human anatomy and her perfect chakra control. Naruto chalked it up to good genes which made Sakura give him a disbelieving look.

Second was his massive chakra reserves that both discovered when they saw Naruto bring out his shadow clones. Naruto didn't know that the two were just outside his door when he brought out fifty clones. When he explained the technique, Sakura immediately pounced on his godly reserves. He immediately chalked it up to good genes. He knew that this alibi was wearing out fast if Sakura's looks were an indication.

Last, but certainly, not the least, Sakura sensed Kurama's chakra in his body after one of his training sessions outside the village walls. They were meeting at Ichiraku Ramen that night when Sakura commented that she picked up a different chakra signature floating around Naruto's body. The blonde conveniently forgot that those with perfect chakra control tend to be good at sensing them. Sakura might not be a sensor in talent but she achieved a minor ability through practice and skill.

"_**You know, if you just man up and tell them about me, I'm sure they'll accept you. You're worrying is starting to grate on my nerves."**_ Kurama grumbled while sprawled lazily behind his cage. His host had been going on and off about his friends finding out his biggest secret, not the time travel thing, but being a jinchuuriki to the most powerful bijuu in the Elemental Nations. To be honest, Kurama was getting irritated by being the target of the same rant over and over again. "_**Oh, watch out for the runaway cabbage cart in front of you."**_

Naruto looked up just in time to see a huge cart filled to the brim with cabbages about to run him over. He merely jumped, not encumbered by the weights he was wearing, over the cart and landed with a soft thud behind the rampaging vehicle as it ran down the street, its driver screaming his head off for it to stop.

"Whew, that was close." Naruto said with a shake of his head. _"Thanks, Kurama."_

"_**No worries, kit. Now, let's go back to the topic before the cabbage tank was about to run you over. You've been ranting and raving the same thing over and over again for the past three days. You're starting to turn it into an art form and that's saying something since you don't have any artistic talent in your body."**_

"_I resent that and I am not ranting and raving as you put it."_retorted a rather miffed Naruto.

"_**Yes you are and you know it. Anyway, let me point a few facts straight. Sasuke and Sakura found out about you being my container after the Chuunin exams in the previous timeline. They accepted it, granted that you didn't come right out and say it, but they accepted you all the same. Let me remind you that your relationship with them in this timeline is way better compared to the previous one. You had the Uchiha treating you like a brother and you practically steered him away from going down the suicidal path to power. Sakura is also treating you like her long lost brother. You know both their secrets since they opened up to you. Why can't you return the favor?"**_

Naruto couldn't deny the fact that Kurama was right. He was being unfair. Sakura and Sasuke definitely treated him like family, both of them sharing their secrets to him as a sign of acceptance.

Sasuke was the first one to open up, telling Naruto and Sakura about the Uchiha Massacre and his drive to kill Itachi, gaining whatever power he could attain to do so to make this dream a reality. Sasuke admitted that he didn't realize it at that time that the path he was taking was a dark one and he thanked Naruto and Sakura for steering him away from it. Sure, he was still aiming to kill Itachi but he was going to do it the right way instead of the other one. This time, he was gaining power the right way for the right reasons and Naruto couldn't help but be proud of his brother in all but blood with that statement.

Sakura also had her own secrets to tell. She admitted that she was bullied as a child and her family wasn't what people made it out to be. Her mother was a part of the civilian council and really opposed the idea of her being a shinobi despite showing her support on the outside and telling people that she was proud of her daughter to Sakura's disgust. The only reason why she attended the Academy was because of her mother wanting her to impress the Last Uchiha, get married, and gain the prestige that came with the name of the near-extinct clan.

Of course, Naruto and Sasuke were surprised at that, the latter telling Sakura that he was glad that she opened up and told them the truth. She assured that two that she no longer had such aspiration since she now viewed Sasuke as an annoying brother who needed to be taught how to have fun. The last Uchiha bristled at that remark but the twinkle in his eyes spoke volumes that he was happy to be treated as such.

Sakura also told them that her mother wanted her to avoid Naruto at all cost since he was supposed to be a demon. She believed it at first but changed her mind upon seeing the real Naruto behind the lies of the villagers and her belief was further cemented when the blonde did everything in his power to train her to become a kunoichi Konoha could be proud of.

"_I guess you're right."_ Naruto conceded when he realized that his friends revealed to him the skeletons in their respective closets while he did not. If he was going to strengthen this bond then it was up to him to tell the truth. _"Let's get this over and done with."_

"_**Don't worry, kit. No matter what their decisions might be, I'll always be here for you…partner."**_

"_Thanks…partner."_ said Naruto gratefully. This was one of those moments in life that he thanked the presence of the bijuu inside him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Naruto found Sakura and Sasuke in their secret training ground behind the Hokage Monument, each doing their unique form of Nature Transformation training to master their respective affinities.

Sasuke was currently in a lotus position, deep in sync with his lightning chakra as strands of lightning cocooned him. Sakura, on the other hand, was channeling her chakra to the soil below and letting her will manipulate the ground, causing waves of earth to appear around her like a ripple.

Naruto couldn't help but look at the two of them in pride. If they kept this up then they wouldn't need hand signs just to bring out an elemental technique. They could just as easily use their respective elements to do their bidding and mold them for offense or defense with a thought.

"Hey, guys. Training hard, I see." Naruto said with a grin. He was quick to channel Wind chakra to his hands, coated it like a thick membrane, before slapping aside the lightning bolt from a smirking Uchiha that would have electrocuted him if it hit. Naruto was thankful that his element was stronger than Sasuke or he would be writhing on the ground right now. "Relax, teme. You're starting to get trigger happy with that lightning of yours."

"Just keeping in practice, dobe." Sasuke said with a smirk before a rock conked him on the side of his head courtesy of Sakura. "Ouch! Watch where you throw those things, woman!"

"Serves your right for attacking first." Sakura said with a smug grin on her face. She turned to Naruto who was looking at the two of them in amusement. "Where have you been? We were expecting you like an hour ago."

"Sorry for being late. I was busy thinking about something." Naruto said with a smile before his face turned serious which alarmed the two immediately. They knew that Naruto was not his usual jovial self.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" asked Sasuke with a hint of concern in his voice which he didn't show to anyone outside their group.

"I think it's time for us to talk." Naruto declared solemnly. The wave of comfort he felt coming from Kurama was the only reason he didn't bolt right now.

"About what?" asked Sakura with a confused tilt of her head.

"My secret," Naruto said as he sat in front of the two who was giving him their undivided attention. "I think it would be safe to say that both of you are curious about me, especially with the…stuff Sakura observed about my abilities?"

Both nodded but it was Sakura who spoke.

"What brought this on, Naruto? You know that we would never force you to reveal your secret if you don't want to." she said with conviction with Sasuke nodded in agreement.

Naruto shook his head in negative before giving the two of them a smile.

"No, I don't think that it's fair to both of you. You both shared your secrets with me in full confidence while I didn't because I'm afraid that what you will find out will change our friendship. I no longer treat you both as friends or best friend. Both of you are my family now - Sasuke as a brother and you, Sakura, as a sister. However, if I want this bond to work then it would be best for you both to know the truth."

The two didn't say anything but Sakura's eyes were tearing up. Sasuke was wearing his stoic mask but Naruto knew that the teen was holding his emotions in a tight grip.

"My secret is not just your average family secret. In fact, this is a village wide secret. The Sandaime made sure that no one would know of this by classing it as an S-rank secret punishable by death. There are only two people in the village that can say it without the punishment taking hold…the Sandaime and me."

"What's this secret that it would mean death if someone blabbed?" Sasuke asked, very curious now though he was worried since an S-rank secret was a serious thing.

"My secret started on my birthday, the night of the Kyuubi attack. I think we both know what happened that night, right? It's discussed in history class, after all." The two nodded. "However, that is not the whole truth. You see, the Kyuubi is a force of nature and there is nothing man can do to beat it."

"_**You got that right. I'm not an IT, I'm a HIM."**_

"_Not now, Kurama."_ Naruto chided his tenant. "Anyway, to make the long story short, the Yondaime didn't kill Kyuubi. He sealed it in a baby. Tell me, Sakura, when did the Kyuubi attack?"

"October 10." Sakura answered immediately.

"And when is my birthday?" Naruto asked rhetorically.

"Everyone knows your birthday is October…" Sakura trailed off, finally connecting the dots. From Sasuke's paling face, it was quite obvious that he got it too. "The Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi inside you, didn't he?"

Naruto nodded, looking down on his lap, waiting for the name calling to start. His eyes were tearing up but he refused to show weakness even in front of his friends who might not be there for long. However, he was surprised when a pair of arms wrapped around his neck before he was tugged forward into Sakura's chest for a tight hug. Naruto was bewildered by her reaction.

"Oh, Naruto." Sakura wailed, tears now flowing down her face. "No wonder the village hated you. No wonder mom told me to stay away from you. It's not fair. You're not the Kyuubi. You're Uzumaki Naruto."

"_**Damn right he isn't."**_

"Sakura…" Naruto started but Sakura had other ideas.

"Shush." admonished the girl as she continued to hug Naruto whose tears were leaking now. Sakura ended the hug and looked at the blonde in the eye. "Is this the reason why you're afraid of telling us? That we might think of you as the Kyuubi and leave you?"

Naruto didn't say anything but nodded all the same.

"Baka!" Sakura screamed as loudly as she could, making Naruto's ears ring from the pitch. "You're not the Kyuubi. You will always be Uzumaki Naruto, my surrogate brother. I'm sure Sasuke feels the same way, right Sasuke-kun?"

Both looked at said boy who now had tears falling down his face. He didn't say anything, simply nodding in agreement to Sakura's words before scooting over and giving the two a tight hug. All three were crying now, not sad tears, but happy tears; tears of acceptance. They might be not related by blood but it was quite obvious that they were related in adversity.

It was at that point on that the trio's bond solidified that nothing could break.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It took half an hour for the trio to compose themselves. Naruto and Sasuke were grinning while Sakura had a soft smile on her face.

"I guess all of our secrets are out now." said Sakura before giving Naruto a look. "No more secrets from you, Naruto-kun. From what we've been through, our camaraderie together, being a jinchuuriki is not a sufficient reason to forget our bonds with each other."

"What's a jinchuuriki?" asked a confused Sasuke. Naruto answered him.

"A jinchuuriki means 'Power of Human Sacrifice'. It is a term used for people like me who has a bijuu inside them." the blonde explained before giving Sakura a questioning look. "Where did you get the term anyway? I read the Konoha Library from top to bottom and I'm sure that the word is never mentioned there even once. As far as I'm concerned, the Sandaime made the word a taboo when he enacted the S-rank secret."

Sakura gave Naruto a smug look before pointing at Sasuke as if blaming the boy for her knowing the secret. Sasuke gave her a surprised look.

"What? This is the first time I heard of the word. I know that you didn't get it from me." the Uchiha heir defended himself.

"I didn't say I got it from your, baka. I got it from your clan library." said a rather smug Sakura. Now this revelation surprised the two boys. "When Sasuke gave us access to his clan's library, I researched the _Sharingan_ so I can help him unlock it." This got a thankful nod from the boy. "Anyway, I came across a…record of sorts from your grandfather, I think. It recorded those who carried a bijuu inside them. As far as the record goes, Kumo has two jinchuurkis, for the Nibi and Hachibi. Takigagure has the Nanabi. Kirigakure no Sato has the Sanbi and Rokubi. Iwa has the Yonbi and Gobi, and Konoha has the Kyuubi." She looked at Naruto who was looking at her in admiration. She inwardly preened. "Did you know that it was also an Uzumaki who held the Kyuubi during the time of the Shodaime?"

Naruto nodded in affirmative.

"Actually, according to the lore, only an Uzumaki could safely hold the Kyuubi because of its potent chakra. The Uzumakis have a potent life force, ensuring that their energies could negate the Kyuubi's during and after the sealing. The first holder of the Kyuubi was Uzumaki Mito, the wife of the Shodaime. The next was Uzumaki Kushina." Naruto controlled himself to avoid the sadness showing on his face due to the mention of her mother's name. "I'm the third."

"So do you know this Uzumaki…Kushina?" asked Sasuke who had a speculative look on his face. "As far as I'm concerned, she should still be alive if what you said is true. Which reminds me, how in the world did Kyuubi get out from Uzumaki Kushina anyway?"

Sakura noticed the constipated look on Naruto's face and her prodigious mind made the connection again.

"She was your mother, right?" Sakura whispered but it was clear that Sasuke and Naruto heard since both had their own reaction to that – Sasuke in shock while Naruto had a sad look on his face before letting out a breath.

"Yes, according to the stories, Uzumaki Kushina, my mother, just finished giving birth to me when the Kyuubi escaped. However…" he was interrupted from his story when Kurama spoke in his head.

"_**Kit, bring both of them into your mindscape, I'll explain everything. I think it's time for both of your friends to learn the truth, especially Sasuke since he is connected to this."**_

"_What? You're going to tell him that we came from the future?"_

"_**No. I'm going to tell them truth about what happened during the time of the Shodaime and when I was sealed inside you. They needed to know for our mission is to be successful."**_

"_Fine, how do I do that?"_

"_**I'll take care of it. Touch their foreheads and I'll do the rest."**_

Sakura noted the glazed look in Naruto's eyes and immediately realized that the bijuu was talking to his surrogate brother. She wasn't worried because Naruto wouldn't let anything harm him or them for that matter. Besides, she was very curious about Naruto's relationship with the all-powerful Kyuubi and was already coming up with questions to settle her excitement.

"You're talking to the Kyuubi, aren't you?" she asked immediately while Sasuke gave her a dumbfounded look. If the situation wasn't serious, Sakura would have laughed herself silly.

"Huh?" asked Naruto who just finished talking to Kurama.

"You were talking to Kyuubi, weren't you?" Sakura asked again. Naruto nodded.

"Yes. In fact, he asked me to bring you both into my mindscape so he can explain everything to you, especially you Sasuke since what happened concerns your family."

"What?" Sasuke and Sakura shouted at the same time.

"Trust me, Kyuubi will explain everything." Naruto assured them. He refrained from using Kurama's name since he knew that his partner didn't like people knowing his one true name. "I know I'm asking much but I ask you to trust me. No harm will come to you when you're in my mind."

"What's a mindscape?" asked Sakura, not familiar with the term.

"The mindscape is the place where jinchuurikis communicate with their bijuu. To put it simply, we can say it is a space in my mind where my soul melds with that of my tenant. Kyuubi told me that he will explain everything but this required you both entering my mindscape."

"How is he going to do that?" asked a rather nervous Sasuke.

"He didn't say but I trust him. We've been talking since I knew how to talk." Technically, this was a lie but it needed to be said. "He didn't mean me any harm and I don't think he'll start now."

"Alright, what do we need to do?" asked Sakura. Sasuke nodded as well telling Naruto that he was in.

"He'll take care of it." Naruto replied before placing a hand on both of their foreheads. He could feel Kurama's chakra leaking out from the cage and into his hands before he felt himself being pulled into his mindscape with his friends along for the ride.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Naruto found himself in his mindscape but he wasn't alone. He saw Sakura and Sasuke materialized beside him, their forms seemed to have a red glow meaning that Kurama did something to ensure that they would appear in his mind.

"Welcome…to my mind." Naruto said grandly. Sakura and Sasuke looked around, noticing the ankle deep water and the sewer-like structure around them.

"Your mind…is a sewer, dobe." Sasuke deadpanned causing Sakura to giggle.

"**You know, I noticed the same thing." **

Naruto wasn't surprised that Kurama spoke but Sasuke and Sakura quickly turned to look at the direction where the voice came from, coming face to face with a very large cage with an equally large Kyuubi grinning down at them.

"**Welcome, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura."**

"Uh…h-hello?" stuttered Sasuke, fear gripping his body as he faced the almighty Kyuubi in front of him. Sakura was speechless.

"Stop scaring them, partner." Naruto chided.

"**Destroy my fun, why don't you?"** Kurama pouted.

"I don't think acting the _almighty_ Kyuubi in front of them would allow us to have a decent conversation, you know." The blonde pointed out. Kurama huffed.

"**Fine. Be that way. Welcome to my…prison Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura."** said Kurama before giving the two of them a friendly smile. **"I would like to thank the both of you for accepting Naruto despite knowing the burden he carries within him."**

Sasuke and Sakura were shocked that the Kyuubi was thanking them. Naruto rolled his eyes and poked the two of them with a finger causing the two to shriek. Hearing Sasuke shriek caused Naruto to laugh with Kurama not far behind him.

"This is rich, Sasuke shrieking like a girl." Naruto manage to say out loud while trying to reign in his laughter.

"**I'm with you, kit, this is the first time I heard an Uchiha shriek. To be honest, it restored my faith in the world."**

"Shut up." the blushing Uchiha all but screamed before a look of horror appeared on his face. "Um, except you, almighty Kyuubi."

"**No worries, Sasuke. To be honest, I'm quite surprised to see an Uchiha showing emotions and speaking normally unlike the usual grunt and growl." **said Kurama with a chuckle before turning serious. **"I didn't bring the two of you here to share jokes though that can come later. I guess the both of you want to learn the truth behind my attack of Konoha during the time of the Shodaime and Naruto's birth?"**

Both nodded.

"**Then listen well, Uchiha, Haruno, for this is the truth of what happened."** Kurama boomed in his powerful voice. **"Mostly you, Sasuke, since my appearance is directly linked with your family line, the Uchiha Clan."**

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**End of Chapter 2**

**Please leave a comment or a review. **

**Flames and comments are very welcome. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Before diving into the story, I would like to thank some of my readers for giving me some ideas on how this story would evolve. Kudos guys!  
**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

**Summary: Time-Travel Story. Naruto died in the Fourth Shinobi War. Kami granted him a boon, returned him to his body with his and Kurama's memories of the future intact. This time, Naruto vowed to do things differently. Powerful Naruto, Powerful Team 7, No Bashing, Not Yaoi, No ships as of yet. Slight AU.**

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**Round Two: A Naruto Time-Travel Story**

**Chapter 3**

**Manipulating the Future**

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Kurama relaxed in his cage, sitting on his haunches. He looked in front of him to see Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura hanging onto his every word. He inwardly grinned. Finally, the truth will be revealed and he hoped that this sharing of trust would prove valuable to their mission.

"**In order for you to understand my presence during the battle between Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara in a place now called the Valley of the End, you need to know the history of the bijuu and how we came to be." **Kurama started telling his story. **"You may ask your questions once I am done and I will hold nothing of the truth from you except those that I deemed too personal for you to know. Agreed?"**

Seeing two nods, Kurama started his story.

"**Before the shinobi world came to be, even before the Elemental Nations came about, the world was plagued by a powerful force, a primordial evil called the Juubi. This powerful force of darkness terrorized the world, razing and destroying everything in its path until one man blessed with the eyes of Kami appeared and put an end to its rampage."**

"**Using the power of the **_**Rinnegan**_**, the most powerful doujutsu in the world, the Rikkudo Sennin battled the Juubi on equal terms, both not budging an inch in their struggle - days the battle waged, the face of the land being reformed with their power. However, in a desperate attempt to end the Juubi's rampage, the Rikkudo Sennin used the power of his eyes to seal the power and soul of monster within himself while imprisoning its body in a tomb in the sky, the Moon. Thus the legendary Rikkudo Sennin became the first jinchuuriki."**

"**Years passed as the Rikkudo Sennin travelled while holding the power of Juubi at bay. Thanks to the powers gifted to him by Kami, he did this easily as he shared the secrets of chakra to the world, giving birth to the Shinobi Nations and the Elemental Countries."**

"**Time went on and the Rikkudo Sennin gave birth to three sons, these three sons were given a part of his power. The eldest was given his eyes, the middle was given his calming presence, the youngest, however, was given his body's vitality. This gave birth to the three great clans – the Uchiha, the Senju, and the Uzumaki."**

"**Uchiha and Senju didn't see eye to eye because of their beliefs despite the teachings of their father. The Uchiha believed that peace can be acquired through power. Senju believed that peace comes if people love and care for each other. Uzumaki backed Senju in this, starting the rift. The brothers went their separate ways, each building their respective clans as what you see today."**

"**When the Rikkudo Sennin was on death's doorstep, he knew that if he died, the Juubi would be released. To avoid such catastrophe, he used his godly powers to create nine bodies and separated the Juubi's power and placed them into these bodies before breathing life into them. Thus the tailed beasts were born."**

Kurama paused in his speech and looked at the captivated audience below him. Even his partner didn't know the truth and this was like hitting two birds with one stone. He grinned.

"**Let's move time forward to the battle of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara. Unlike popular beliefs, I didn't aid Madara in attacking the Shodaime. In fact, I was brought under his control using the power of the **_**Sharingan**_**, a mutation of the Rikkudo Sennin's gift to his eldest son. While Hashirama had the power to suppress a bijuu's energy, gaining control of them by inhibiting their lust for battle, Uchiha Madara's eyes had the power to place a powerful genjutsu on a bijuu, letting them feel rage and bloodlust, thus gaining control of us through our primal instinct."**

"**The battle raged on but the Shodaime was able to destroy the connection between me and Madara, breaking his control over me. As I gained my sanity, Uzumaki Mito, used a powerful sealing technique to imprison me inside her body, making her my first jinchuuriki. Madara was defeated and unlike popular beliefs, he is still alive."**

This revelation shocked Sasuke and Sakura but Naruto already know this. Thankfully, the two didn't say anything but continued to listen to Kurama's story.

"**Mito knew that Madara was still alive and if I was ever released upon her death, then there was nothing stopping the Uchiha patriarch in controlling me again. Such is the case; she summoned another Uzumaki to become the next jinchuuriki. Thus, Uzumaki Kushina came into the scene."**

"**When Kushina gave birth to Naruto, all of her energy was diverted to childbirth causing the seal holding me inside her to weaken. However, the Yondaime and Sandaime Hokage used their chakra to strengthen the seal, ensuring that I stay inside and away from Madara's reach. However, Madara learned of the location and immediately attacked. While everyone was concentrating on Kushina, Madara took Naruto as hostage, threatening to kill him if they so much as move and strengthen the seal holding me at bay. However, the Yondaime attacked the man using his famed technique and Naruto was freed from his clutches. But, this gave Madara an opening to yank me out, causing me to appear outside of Konoha before he appeared and took control of me once again. This is the reason why I attacked Konoha for the second time."**

"**However, the Yondaime already hatched a plan and with Kushina's permission, used Naruto, an Uzumaki descendant, to become the third jinchuuriki. However, the Yondaime took it one step further. Since he knew Madara was still alive, he made sure that Konoha would have a surprise if the man decided to appear. He used the forbidden **_**Shiki Fuujin**_** to summon the Shinigami as a catalyst to the sealing. He let the Shinigami devour my Yin Chakra while sealing my Yang Chakra into Naruto. However, I was still under the throes of Madara's control so I immediately attacked Naruto upon his command. However, the Yondaime and Kushina used their bodies to shield Naruto from my attack, getting impaled in the process. Kushina materialized her special Chakra Chains to subdue me once again. With that, the Yondaime finished the sealing process and completely placed me inside Naruto."**

He turned to Sasuke who now had tears flowing down his face. Sakura was bawling her eyes out, hugging Naruto for all she was worth. Kurama was inwardly happy that Naruto found true friends in this timeline.

"**Uchiha."** Kurama called Sasuke's attention. **"Madara is still alive. I am sure and I will bet all my tails that he had something to do with the clan being massacred. I don't know the truth but I am sure that your brother knows. If you want to know the reason why your clan is gone, seek Itachi out. However, do so with your friends beside you and they will make sure that you'll be successful in this endeavor."**

Sasuke stayed rooted on the spot, his face and eyes a myriad of emotions due to the revelation. However, these emotions disappeared to be replaced by a determination that rivaled Naruto's Will of Fire. He placed a fist on his chest and looked at Kurama's eyes without fear.

"You have my promise, Kyuubi-sama. I pledge that I will remain true to my brother, Naruto, and sister, Sakura. I will seek Itachi and learn the truth why my family was wiped out. I promise that I will not fall into darkness but I will rely on my own power and the strength given to me by my friends to see this done." Sasuke declared. He was vaguely aware of Naruto and Sakura flanking him, a hand on each of his shoulders, all three of them looked at Kurama with determination, sealing their pledge.

"**Good. I hate all Uchiha but seeing you stick to my container proved your worth to me. You might be the first Uchiha to gain my respect. Listen well, Uchiha Sasuke, stick to your pledge and I will always be there along with my container to aid you in your struggles. Break the pledge and I will destroy you when I am free from my partner's hold. This I promise."**

Sasuke didn't flinch at the threat but simply nodded; his determination growing stronger than ever.

"**Now that you know the whole story, if you have questions, this is the time to ask them. I can't maintain this connection long without your body being harmed. Only Naruto is immune to my chakra being my container and an Uzumaki." **Kurama informed them. **"Speak your questions, Sakura, Sasuke."**

"Do you know who Naruto's father is?" Sakura asked immediately, gripping Naruto's hand with her own. She didn't see Naruto's shocked expression because she was staring intently at the bijuu in front of her.

Kurama looked at her, spotting Naruto expression, before shaking his head.

"**No I don't, Haruno Sakura. The seal Mito applied on Kushina ensured that I am not aware of the outside world. I don't know who Naruto's father is…but I'm sure the time will come when this truth will be revealed." **said Kurama while giving Naruto a pointed look.

Naruto glared at his partner for putting him in this predicament before looking at the faces of his surrogate brother and sister. He knew that the two suspected that he knew. He sighed.

"Yes, I do know who my father is." Naruto said before a wry smile appeared on his face. "After all, the Yondaime wouldn't be much of a Hokage if he chose another to contain Kyuubi if not his own son."

"Y-you're the Yondaime's son?" asked Sakura while Sasuke was giving the blonde a look.

"Take away the whisker marks and you definitely get the Yondaime." Sasuke said while nodding. Sakura raised an eyebrow at him. "Duh, check the Hokage Monument and look at Naruto. I'm sure you see the resemblance. Besides, there are only two blondes in Konoha – the Yondaime and the Yamanakas. I think we all know which one Naruto hailed from."

"Smart, teme." Naruto said with a smirk before his face turned serious. "I hope you keep this information, guys. The Sandaime doesn't know that I know about my parents and Kyuubi. As far as he's concerned, I'm just a clueless Academy student."

"Fine. We will keep your secret. Besides, Iwa would practically declare an all-out war with Konoha if they found out that the Yondaime had a son." Sakura said dryly causing Naruto to look at her incredulously. "Iwa was the hardest hit during the Third Shinobi War. The Yondaime used his _Hirashin_ to decimate Iwa's ranks. As far as history is concerned, they have a grudge against him and that grudge will surely extend to you if they find out you're his son."

"**He has a point there, partner."**

"Fine." Naruto all but growled causing the fox to snicker.

"Why do you call Naruto your partner?" asked Sasuke, no longer afraid of the bijuu who was being…friendly with them.

"**Easy. He has my respect."** Kurama said with a smirk. **"I don't hate him and he doesn't hate me despite the fact that I was the reason that his parents are dead and the villagers treating him like trash. In truth, he blames Madara for everything that happened to him. I respect him because despite the villagers' hatred, he persevered and still maintained his determination and the Shodaime's fabled Will of Fire. Also, the Shinigami and Yondaime's seal ensured that we will be together forever until the day he dies. If Naruto dies then I die with him with me going straight into the Shinigami's stomach. That is how the seal works. Instead of fighting him, I rather help my host become the strongest he could be."**

"Thanks." Naruto said with a grin.

"**You're welcome, Naruto."** said Kurama, returning the grin. **"Now, our time is at an end. Your bodies need to stop its contact with my chakra. If you have any questions, tell Naruto. I will answer through him. Farewell for now."**

With that, Kurama ended the connection causing the two to disappear, leaving Naruto behind.

"Thanks, Kurama. I know I said this once before but I'll say this again, I'm glad that it was you that was sealed in me, my friend."

"**You're welcome, Naruto."** Kurama said with a warm smile before Naruto left his mind to join his friends in the physical world.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Naruto felt as if the weight of the world was lifted from his shoulder after Kurama revealed the truth to his two friends, no, siblings. When he returned to the waking world, Sasuke and Sakura immediately bombarded him with questions, mostly concerning the abilities he got from housing the Kyuubi no Yoko.

With Kurama's prompting to proceed, he explained to the both of them his abilities when using the fox's chakra. He even demonstrated his Jinchuuriki mode up to four tails. He told them that he couldn't go any higher because the Kyuubi's potent chakra would be felt all throughout the village. Sakura immediately told him to stop using Kyuubi's chakra since she didn't want Naruto's relationship with his bijuu to be revealed and make things worse for him.

He also showed them his Chakra Shroud, an ability he gained for being Kurama's host. The two sparred with Naruto with his shroud activated, the blonde enjoying it and he knew that his siblings did as well. All three of them knew that their training would be taking up a notch after this event. They all have their own reasons for getting stronger and all three of them would be together as they do that.

They ended the day with the three of them going back to the Uchiha compound for a well-deserved rest. It had been a long and tiring day thanks to the truths they heard and the trio was glad that it ended with all of them in good spirits and their bond as pseudo-siblings stronger than ever.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, was watching the villagers go through their daily lives from behind the window of his office high on top of the Hokage Tower. Despite being free of paperwork for the day, a rarity of days in his book, he couldn't help but feel a bit anxious.

The reason was his surrogate grandson, Uzumaki Naruto.

It had been roughly 3 years since he couldn't find a peep of the boy using his crystal ball and a spying jutsu. He would still come and visit for a brief talk, get his orphan allowance, or just to hang out; but anytime he wanted to check on the boy, it's like Naruto disappeared off the grid.

He placed a targeting seal the boy's clothes so he could find him anywhere in the village to monitor his well-being, and if caught in bad time, whisk him out to safety before the villagers could sink their claws into him. However, one day 3 years ago, he couldn't find the boy no matter how much he tried.

It was a week and a few hours that his spying technique failed to find the boy unless he wanted to be found that he ordered one of his trusted ANBU, Dog, to find the Naruto. Thankfully, the boy was safe in his apartment reading a book. Of course, he immediately visited Naruto to find him just the way as Dog described – reading a book.

Hiruzen noticed that there was something different about his surrogate grandson. One indicator was that the boy was sitting down and reading a book in his couch for hours without fidgeting. Everyone knew that Uzumaki Naruto was a stamina freak and staying in one place for too long was impossible for the energetic boy. Other reasons also screamed at him as well, like how clean the boy's apartment was, the small number of Ramen cups on the boy's cupboard, healthy food on the cabinets, and so on. Heck, the boy was even wearing dark colored clothes and the lack of orange definitely alarmed him.

No wonder he couldn't find him through his crystal ball! Naruto was no longer wearing the shirts with the seal on them. He couldn't place a seal on the boy's clothes since it would be quite obvious and he didn't want to alert his surrogate grandson that he was being spied on.

After interviewing the boy, he couldn't help but be proud of Naruto's growth. It would seem that the blonde finally lived up to his potential. Considering who his parents were, it was impossible for Naruto to be otherwise. It would seem that the boy loved to read and the lady in charge of the library often told him how Naruto would spend hours reading various books ranging from general subjects to the basics of shinobi arts.

However, this report didn't coincide with what happened in the first two Academy years. Naruto failed and got held back twice! It was impossible since the Sandaime knew that Naruto was smart, smarter than his peers. How and why did the boy fail?

However, this question was answered in the following year when Naruto was placed in a class along with the clan heirs. It would seem that Naruto wanted to be people his age so he purposely held himself back since he attended the Academy two years early because of a promise. He couldn't help but chuckle at the memory on how the boy performed more than expected of him, stumping the teachers who were already expecting him to have low grades and fail the end-of-the-year test.

Oh yes, Uzumaki Naruto definitely had a mind and was already using the age-old basics of shinobi deception to manipulate his way onto a better group.

The Sandaime was anxious again because of what he discovered a week before. He was in a pensive mood that time and was itching train his body a bit to get the blood going. He immediately went to his rarely-used training ground behind the Hokage Monument for a bit of a warm-up exercise with a clone or two. His training ground, however, was showing signs of use and there were damages all over the place.

There were only two people who knew the existence of his hidden hideaway - Him because he was the one who made it, and Uzumaki Naruto after bringing the boy there one day to demonstrate a few jutsus since it was the boy's birthday.

Judging from the damage, he knew that Naruto was training hard and he could feel different chakra signatures in the area and they were quite fresh too. Naruto was training with someone but the question was - who?

Sighing, he went back to his desk and decided to find out what his surrogate grandson was doing and who he was training with.

"Dog." He called out. A second later, a Dog-masked ANBU was kneeling in front of him.

"You called, Hokage-sama?" said Dog lazily from behind his mask.

"Behind the Hokage Monument is a training ground I built for myself. I want you to go there and stay hidden; spy on anyone in the area and report back to me. Clear?" the aged leader ordered.

"Understood, Hokage-sama. Do we have a target?" Dog inquired.

"Yes, Uzumaki Naruto and his…training partners."

If Dog was surprised, he didn't show it. However, the sudden slight tensing of the man's shoulder was proof enough that the name of the Kyuubi jinchuuriki surprised him.

"Understood, Hokage-sama."

"Good. Dismissed."

Dog stood up from his position and melted back into the shadows. Sandaime watched the man leave before a sigh escaped his lips. He looked at his table in disgust since it only had been twenty minutes since he finished his latest batch of paperwork and now, there was a new batch waiting for him to go through. This was one of the few times in his life that he wished that he was the one to seal the Kyuubi so Minato would have to suffer through the hell that was paperwork.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Dog, or otherwise known as Hatake Kakashi was bored as he stayed hidden using a subtle genjutsu on one of the tallest trees overlooking the training ground the Sandaime told him about. Judging from the amount of damage in the area, whoever was using it was quite serious in getting stronger.

His target was his sensei's son, Uzumaki Naruto.

It was good that Naruto was training to become strong in the shinobi arts. The boy should show quite a lot of promise considering that he was born from two Kage-level shinobi that made Iwa and Kumo quake in their proverbial boots. If the boy impressed him then he might take the Sandaime's offer of quitting ANBU and take up the mantle of a Jounin sensei.

If Naruto impress him, that is.

He solidified the genjutsu hiding him when he sensed three different chakra signatures coming his way and coming fast. He couldn't believe the amount of chakra these three had that even his limited sensory talents picked them up. The largest was above Kage-level and it was very potent. He knew that this chakra belonged to none other than Uzumaki Naruto, the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko.

The others were a mystery. One of them had o high Chuunin chakra level bordering on low Jounin. However, the last one was only at mid-Chuunin level but the smooth flow of chakra meant that this person had near perfect chakra control. The last person he encountered with chakra that smooth was Tsunade of the Sannin and the person who was coming towards him was definitely near the Legendary Medic's level.

Dog was floored when he saw Naruto and his companions and he couldn't help but feel faint when he saw the boy look so similar to his sensei that it was impossible to deny that they were father and son.

Naruto was wearing a typical shinobi outfit with a few modifications here and there to make it his own. He was wearing tight black pants and a muscle shirt. Instead of a Jounin vest, Naruto was wearing something similar but it was definitely customized since it didn't have enough pockets for scrolls. Aside from a pair of shinobi sandals and metal-plated fingerless gloves, the most shocking was the Haori Naruto was wearing. It had red flames on the edges; the Uzumaki symbol with nine writhing tails, looking like a miniature red sun, on his back. Considering that Naruto let his hair grew, bangs framing the side of his face making him the spitting image of the Yondaime Hokage. He wondered if the boy knew of his parentage. If not then the boy definitely was a Minato clone right from the get go.

The next he noticed to enter the clearing was Uchiha Sasuke, which was a surprise since he knew of the boy's attitude towards people after his clan's massacre. He was further surprised when the boy showed a familial treatment and camaraderie with his sensei son. He briefly wondered if this was an imposter or if his stress level was playing tricks on him.

Sasuke was definitely showing the prodigious side he was labeled to be. The boy was wearing a white high-collar shirt with sleeves that reached all the way to his wrist wrapped in a warmer of sorts that looked like a wrist band. He could see a seal there but he couldn't make out what it was. He was wearing a pair of lose dark blue pants and a dark purple rope as a belt around his waist, which also supported the chokuto on the teen's back. Dog recognized the weapon belonging to Sasuke's grandfather, a powerful blade that was said to rival those owned by the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist and his father's, Hatake Sakumo's, White Fang.

The last to enter the clearing was definitely Haruno Sakura judging from the girl's pink hair.

Sakura was definitely a kunoichi that Konoha would be proud of. She was wearing a red jacket covering the mesh underneath. The jacket was tight enough that showed the girls perfect figure despite being undeveloped considering how old she was. Her pink hair was quite long reaching down to the middle of her back, her bangs framing the side of her face, similar to Naruto, not spiky but rather tamed. Her lower apparel includes a red apron skirt and tight black shorts that stopped just above her knee. Instead of shinobi sandals, Sakura was wearing a high-heeled combat boots. Her hands were covered by gloves similar to Naruto but this one was in red compared to the blonde's black.

All in all, the trio was a sight to behold but a shinobi was more than just looks.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Dog was practically giddy with excitement as he appeared kneeling in front of the Sandaime Hokage with his report. It was going to be a report to give the aged leader a heart attack. Not only was he impressed by the trio's 'mock spar', their skills would make the current Genin teams pale in comparison. Oh yes, he, Dog, Hatake Kakashi, was impressed, very impressed. He definitely want this team for himself, by hook or by crook if need be.

"Dog, reporting in from reconnaissance mission, Hokage-sama." said Dog, excitement clearly evident in his voice that made the Hokage raise an eyebrow in question.

"From your tone, I can definitely say that you found Naruto's training quite a sight, eh Dog?" said the aged leader in a deceptively mild tone though there was a hint of curiosity there as well.

"Definitely, Hokage-sama. But before I proceed with my report, I would like to accept your proposition of me becoming a Jounin-sensei." Dog said immediately. He wanted to get this done as soon as possible; his future team was at stake.

This surprised the Hokage since Kakashi was well-known to be lazy when it came to picking out a team. He was given a team two years ago but they failed miserably in his famed 'Bell Test' and causing him to return to ANBU once again. This time, it was quite a rare sight to see Kakashi excited in having a team of his own.

"That's a surprise. I take it that the reason for your sudden acceptance in taking a Genin Team is due to what you saw in my training ground?" the Hokage asked.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." agreed Kakashi before letting out a giggle which made the Hokage's jaw drop.

"Very well. As of now, you're resigned from your post in ANBU. Take off your mask, Kakashi."

Kakashi took off his Dog mask and placed it on the Hokage's desk. A grin was quite visible from behind his face mask and his visible eye was showing excitement that the Hokage haven't seen in a very long time.

"Report, Kakashi."

"Um, before that, Hokage-sama. Can I ask for your permission to take in Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura in the formation of Team 7 as a front-line heavy-duty assault squad?"

This surprised the Hokage since Konoha hadn't had such a squad since Kakashi's time as a Genin under Minato. He definitely needed to hear why this three soon-to-be Genins made such a mark on the famed _Sharingan no Kakashi_.

"Why?" he asked, no, urged Kakashi to explain.

"It's simple, Hokage-sama. The three are way more powerful that their peers. From their _spars_, and I use the word lightly, each of them are already mid to high-Chuunin in strength. Together, they would become a terror in the battlefield. If their teamwork and skill set is of any indication, I can safely say that they can easily bring down an A-rank Jounin with ease."

"What? Explain, Kakashi. Now!"

"Let me start with Haruno Sakura. Despite coming from a civilian family, the girl definitely has a mind on her. She could come up with tactics on the fly that would make a Nara proud. It would seem that her training with Sasuke and Naruto made her what she is now. She has mid-Chuunin taijutsu, no ninjutsu to speak of, but she did one thing that cemented my decision to have her on my team. She demonstrated perfect chakra control that allowed her to perform advanced medical techniques and she has, in some way, replicated Tsunade-sama's super strength technique on a small scale but I'm sure that it would continue to improve as they train."

Sarutobi's face showed shock that Kakashi was tempted to rouse the old man and take him to the hospital before he suffered a heart attack. With good reason too, for a civilian Academy student to be a powerful medic and replicated Tsunade's strength, this was impossible. Kakashi took the Sandaime's silence as a prompt to continue so he did.

"The next is Uchiha Sasuke. We can throw his psyche profile into the bin since the boy is acting like any regular teen would. I don't see the brooding boy when he was brought out of the hospital after the massacre. He is cheerful and is practically a daredevil in the battlefield. He is well-versed in his clan's taijutsu style and his speed is amazing. He has a large repertoire of Fire jutsus but the most commendable skill he showed was his unparalleled use of lightning. He could fire lightning attacks without hand signs and use it with his grandfather's chokuto the same way Asuma does with his trench knives!" Kakashi said excitedly, he was on a roll now. "Oh before I forget, Sasuke has a fully developed _Sharingan_, just in case you're curious."

Sarutobi didn't know how many more shock he could take and he knew that Kakashi's report on Naruto would practically push him to retirement. He held up his hand to halt the one-eyed Jounin's report, opened a drawer to take out a Sake bottle, popped open the lid and took a long drink without bothering with a cup. He took three more shots before placing the bottle on the table and beckoned for the Jounin to continue. He braced himself for the revelation that was to come, his hand planted firmly around the bottle since he knew he would be taking a long drink again soon enough.

"I don't know what to say about Naruto but you can be sure that he is definitely sensei's son. The boy is a wind user and he has control over it similar to Sasuke with his lightning though his techniques bordered on defensive as compared to the Uchiha. His taijutsu style is perfect, able to switch to offense and defense in a blink of an eye. I also noticed that he trained with weights since he was very fast during their spars. However, the most surprising thing was his use of Kyuubi's chakra!"

"WHAT!" shouted Sarutobi before taking a long drink of sake. His nerves were starting to get out of whack. "EXPLAIN, KAKASHI!"

"Naruto can use the Kyuubi's chakra. However, he doesn't show any negative reactions towards it. When he channeled the bijuu's energy, I immediately uncovered my _Sharingan_ to stop it. However, it wasn't needed since the boy handled it like a pro. Heck, there wasn't even any visible sign he was using Kyuubi's chakra. I felt it and I only saw it when I used the _Sharingan_."

"What did he use it for?" the Sandaime curiously asked. He made a mental note to pen a letter to Jiraiya to return to Konoha immediately and have him check Naruto's seal. He stiffened when he realize that Naruto already knew of the Kyuubi. He definitely needed to have the Toad Sage back as soon as possible.

"He created three _Kage Bunshins_ and injected Kyuubi's chakra into them. I think the reason he did so was to make them durable since they lasted all throughout the one hour spar, taking hits and returning them without dispelling." Kakashi said dryly.

"He…he knows the _Kage Bunshin_?" Sandaime said shocked. He took another drink. Thankfully, he had another bottle since the one he was using now was running low.

"Oh yes, he can even bring them out without the hand sign. I don't know how many he can make but he made three easily without signs of exhaustion. Heck, I can barely make three without succumbing to chakra exhaustion." Kakashi mused. "Anyway, it would seem that Naruto inherited an ability from Kyuubi since he formed a shroud of chakra that covered his body from head to toe but using Naruto's natural chakra though this one had a fox-like appearance. The shroud of chakra acts as an ultimate defense since any technique the clones hit him with was either repelled or absorbed. The curious thing is Naruto's ability to manipulate the shroud that he could control it like an extension of his body."

Sarutobi finished off the last of the sake and threw the empty bottle outside the window, ignoring the startled yelp from a shinobi below. He took the other one from his drawer and started drinking. He finished half of it before he felt his nerves relaxing slightly.

"Are you sure that Kyuubi isn't influencing Naruto?" Sarutobi asked immediately, miraculously still sober even from the amount of sake he ingested.

"Definitely, Hokage-sama. As we all know, jinchuurikis shows a visible sign when they use their tenant's chakra. The most reported case is the Hachibi and Nibi. Naruto expertly used the Kyuubi's chakra and channeling it without succumbing to its power. Besides, he didn't use it in battle, only to make his clones durable. I'm am curious as to how he found out about the bijuu considering no one is be stupid enough to tell him with your S-rank protocol in place." Kakashi theorized. "If I was to hazard a guess, he either discovered it on his own which I find unlikely or he heard it from a villager as he passed by. Either way, it would seem that Sasuke and Sakura also know of Naruto's status as a jinchuuriki since Sakura mentioned how durable the clones were and Naruto explaining why they were so. They accepted him, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi was inwardly relieved by Kakashi's report. He frowned when learning that Naruto knew of the Kyuubi, much less using the bijuu's chakra. However, finding out that his friends knew of his status as a jinchuuriki and accepted him almost brought tears of relief to his eyes. He decided to have a talk with Naruto after he graduates from the Academy in three days time. He was sure the boy would graduate considering that he impressed Kakashi enough to request a team.

"Good. If you want to shadow them until Team Assignment then you may proceed. However, don't reveal your presence as of yet since we don't want them to know that we are on to them. I approve of your request as a team but I have a few conditions." Sarutobi said the last part with an ominous tone in his voice which made Kakashi gulp.

"What conditions, Hokage-sama?"

"One, you are not allowed to be lazy. If your team is as good as you say they are then I want you to train with them every day. I think it's fine time that you got out of your A-rank status and finally take your place as an S-rank shinobi. You will train yourself and Team 7. So this means, you must ALWAYS be on time. Agreed?"

"Agreed, Hokage-sama." said Kakashi immediately since he was looking forward to sparring with his future team.

"Condition two; I want you to make sure that they finish the required D-rank. Since this is going to be an assault and front-line combat team, I want them cleared for C and B-rank missions as soon as possible. We will still follow the protocol for 20 D-ranks before a C-rank so make sure that they get it done in the soonest possible time."

"Clear. Anything else?" Kakashi was getting excited now.

"Last, but not the least, I want your students to take personalized lessons from people I select. Naruto will be Jiraiya's since only my student can teach him how to control Kyuubi's power and check on his seal. You will take care of Sasuke and make sure that he knows the in and out of his _Sharingan_. Sakura, on the other hand, will be trained by a medic of my choosing, or if I'm successful, I will have Tsunade return to the village and give Sakura lessons. If what you say is true then the best person to get Sakura's strength up to snuff is Tsunade herself. Are you alright with this?"

Kakashi thought about it for a few seconds before nodding.

"I agree to the last condition, Hokage-sama, but I want to take the lion's share of my team's time. We can make a schedule for their lessons, let's say twice a week?" the one-eyed Jounin suggested.

"Agreed." Sarutobi nodded before nudging at the door with his chin. "Now get out of here. This has been a long night for me and I have plans of getting plastered with sake tonight."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"He left." Sakura shouted to the group who immediately stopped their 3-on-3 spar. Naruto quickly dispelled the clones, mentally assimilating the battle from his clone's point of view, while Sasuke patted the dust off his clothes. "You think he bought it?"

"I'm sure he did." Naruto assured her. "I'm glad you practiced your chakra sensing technique, Sakura. We wouldn't have found out about the ANBU if you didn't warn us first."

"Are you sure that it's going to work?" asked Sasuke while inspecting his chokuto for any nicks on the edge, happy that he didn't find any before returning it to its sheath with a practiced move. He just had the thing repaired last week since it suffered a nick or two while pitting it with Naruto's wind-covered kunai.

"Quite. I know how Konoha make their Genin teams and the main requirement is teamwork. If we show the Hokage that we are already a team then there is a big possibility that we are going to be assigned together without following the grade system. If that doesn't work then I can convince Hokage-jiji to put us in the same team." Naruto said with a cheeky grin on his face.

Sasuke shook his head in both exasperation and disbelief.

"You have balls of steel, dobe. I think this is the first time that some called the Hokage 'jiji'." Sasuke said with a smirk.

"Hey, I have you know that he's always been my grandfather. He took care of me after all." Naruto defended himself before huffing.

"Sure, Naruto-kun. We know that." said Sakura before giving the blonde a pinch on the cheek. Naruto swatted her hand away since the pinch was starting to become painful. Damn her superhuman strength. She was using it subconsciously now.

"Away, devil woman! Away!" Naruto exclaimed before realizing his mistake. He saw Sakura twitching as he edged away from her. "Um…Sakura-chan. You know I didn't mean it right?"

"Naruto…"

"Shit."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Sasuke was happily munching on a dango while looking at the scene in front of him. Sakura had an irritated scowl on her face, arms crossed over her chest while looking down at a severely bruised and battered Naruto lying in the middle of a crater by her feet. He shuddered since he knew how strong Sakura was. He could feel phantom pain lancing throughout his body as he imagined getting pummeled by the pink-haired girl in Naruto's place. It wasn't a pleasant thought.

"So, any plans regarding the graduation test?" Sasuke asked as he threw the stick towards a tree like a senbon, spearing a falling leaf along the way before embedding itself on the trunk with the rest of its kin, completing the Uchiha clan symbol he was aiming for.

"What's to plan about? There's the written exam, taijutsu and ninjutsu portion, and…um…the weapons throwing I guess." replied Sakura as he she ran a hand coated with healing chakra on Naruto's bruised form. She knew that the blonde was already mending but the boy was definitely unconscious. She placed a hand on his temple and nudged the brain awake with her chakra causing the blonde to groan.

"Ow…what hit me?" Naruto said with a groan.

"I did, baka Naruto." Sakura said with a huff before a wry smile crossed her face. She helped his surrogate brother off the ground and patted him free of dust. "How are you feeling?"

"Like Kyuubi using my body as a trampoline." He muttered under his breath.

"_**Now that's a thought."**_ Kurama mumbled in Naruto's mind, finding the idea a fun thing to do to his partner.

"_Hush you."_ Naruto chided his tenant. "What were you guys talking about?"

"Graduation exam in three days time." Sasuke replied while pulling out three sticks of dango from the storage seal on his wrist band and throwing one each to Sakura and Naruto, both catching it with ease.

Naruto gave his surrogate brother a questioning look. "What about it?" he asked before taking a bite out of the sweets.

"Aren't you curious about the graduation exam?" Sasuke pointed out, not understanding why his surrogate brother was unconcerned of the coming exam that would shape their future.

"I already know what the exam entails." Naruto said dismissively, eating the last of the dango and obliterating the stick with wind chakra channeled to his fingers, slicing them to fine pieces. This revelation made Sakura raise an eyebrow at him. "Trust me; we're going to breeze through the thing that it's not funny."

"Do tell." Sakura urged.

"Let me see." Naruto started, started ticking off the list with his fingers. "There's the written portion of the exam composed of a 100-item test on history, mathematics, and the basics of shinobi arts we learned in class. This is followed by weapons proficiency on shurikens and kunais. There's the taijutsu portion where we will be sparring with an Academy teacher and to survive for three minutes. Then we have the ninjutsu portion which requires us to perform the basic three – _Kawarimi, Henge_, and _Bunshin_."

"How in name of Kami do you know that?" Sasuke exclaimed in surprise. He knew that Naruto was well informed but he didn't know it was that much. It was like the blonde had a spy network or something.

"Easy, I spied on last year's graduating class. I used a _Kage Bunshin_ and had it henge into a fly." Naruto lied but he did use that combination before in the previous timeline but they didn't need to know that.

"Ah. How is your _Bunshin_ coming along?" Sakura asked, concerned. He knew that the Academy clone was Naruto's main weakness since he had too much chakra for the illusionary construct.

"Not good but I'll pass easily with _Kage Bunshin_. The rule states that all we needed to do is to perform _a _clone. _Any_ clone would work. I asked around and I heard an Aburame passing the ninjutsu portion using a Bug Clone so I'm cool in using a _Kage Bunshin_." Naruto assured the worried Sakura. Actually, it was in the previous timeline, Aburame Shino using a Bug Clone instead of the normal clone. Kiba also turned Akamaru into a clone of his which merited a pass in Iruka's book.

"That's good then." Sakura said with a nod before looking up. "Judging from the time, it's almost dinner. Are we going to eat outside or you're going to make dinner at yours or Sasuke's place, Naruto?"

The blonde thought about it for a bit before answering. There was this dish he wanted to try out.

"Hm, I'll make dinner. I remember Sasuke telling me that he harvested a fresh batch of tomatoes yesterday from his private garden." Sasuke perked up upon hearing his favorite. "I'm thinking of making a dish called spaghetti I saw in a movie once. If not, I can always make grilled tomatoes and make a salad out of it or maybe…"

He didn't get to say anything else since Sasuke appeared in front of them and dragged them out of the training ground towards the Uchiha compound mumbling 'tomatoes' all the way.

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**End of Chapter 3**

**Please leave a comment or a review.**

**Reviews and Flames are welcome.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

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**Summary: Time-Travel Story. Naruto died in the Fourth Shinobi War. Kami granted him a boon, returned him to his body with his and Kurama's memories of the future intact. This time, Naruto vowed to do things differently. Powerful Naruto, Powerful Team 7, No Bashing, Not Yaoi, No ships as of yet. Slight AU.**

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**Round Two: A Naruto Time-Travel Story**

**Chapter 4**

**Inheritance and Traitors**

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Naruto casually walked the streets of Konoha, discretely observing the populace while making his way towards the Hokage Tower. He expected the Hokage to summon him considering how they showed the hidden ANBU some of their abilities and the unrivaled teamwork he had with Sakura and Sasuke. He didn't expect to be summoned the next day though which was too soon in his opinion.

Kurama mentioned that it was quite possible that whoever was watching picked up the trace of his chakra being channeled into the clones. Naruto couldn't help but agree with his tenant since ANBU were trained to sense chakra thanks to his lessons with the Toad Sage in the shinobi ranks.

Naruto noticed the glares from the villagers directed his way, some quite obvious in their hate of him while others were being secretive about it though the latter was quite useless to someone trained in the shinobi arts. Naruto remembered how the villagers cheered his name after defeating Pein in the previous timeline. He wondered if such an obvious display of heroics would trigger the same result.

He nodded to the two Chuunin guards stationed at the entrance of the tower, a nod which was returned without hate in their eyes. Naruto was thankful that the shinobi population was either respectful to him for containing the Kyuubi no Yoko or ignoring him because of it. It was at this point in time that Naruto wished that Kurama was out of his cage since the bijuu's ability to sense negative emotions would have been so handy, as well as some other abilities when the two of them synched up to a perfect jinchuuriki form.

Naruto ignored the secretary glaring at him before knocking on his surrogate grandfather's door. In the previous timeline, he would have just barged in and declared his aim to take the Kage position from the man but he was different this time. If he wanted people to take him seriously then he would treat them in kind. That means that the prankster and knucklehead Naruto would have to take a backseat this time around but would let it out from time to time.

"Good morning, jiji." Naruto greeted the aged leader with a smile on his face.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun. Please take a seat. We have much to discuss." said the Sandaime who was giving the blonde a speculative look while puffing on his pipe.

"Sure," Naruto shrugged before taking the offered seat. "What do you want to talk about, old man?"

"Before we get into that, how are your studies for the graduation exam tomorrow?" Sarutobi asked mildly, starting with the mundane questions before really grilling the boy in front of him for information.

Naruto looked at the aged leader with a questioning look before a sly grin made its way to his face.

"You didn't really bring me here to ask me _that_ question, jiji." said Naruto before chuckling at the sheepish expression on his surrogate grandfather's face. "I'll answer that though. I'm prepared for the graduation exam and I'm sure that I'm going to pass and become a Genin. So what do you _really_ want to talk about, jiji? Does this have something to do with the ANBU observing my training in your hidden training ground?"

Sarutobi was surprised at the boy in front of him. It would seem that Naruto changed and for the better. He knew that the prankster Naruto was still inside the boy but it his studies and training made him a serious individual. He couldn't help but be proud of the boy's growth.

"I guess there's no point beating around the bush." the Sandaime said dryly before leveling Naruto a serious look. "Tell me, Naruto-kun, why the sudden change and why did you hide your skills and abilities? For that matter, when are you going to tell me that you know of the Kyuubi?"

Naruto and Kurama spent quite a lot of hours discussing how to twist the truth around the Hokage, both pointing out flaws in the plan until they came up with one that was not only foolproof, but would help them in the long run. Naruto didn't want to lie to his surrogate grandfather but if he wanted to succeed in defeating Madara and Obito, this was the only way he could think of at the moment.

"Let's go with the last question first. Why didn't you tell me that I was Kyuubi's container?" asked Naruto with a frown on his face. He could see the Sandaime looking guilty. "Anyway, I have no problems with it old man. I think I know why you kept it a secret from me. After all, it wouldn't do for the 'demon brat' to hate the village now, would he?"

"Naruto, I…" started the aged leader but Naruto interrupted him.

"Don't worry about it, jiji." said Naruto with a smile. "I don't hate the villagers. Annoyed? Yes! Hate them? No. I'm just thankful that their hate towards the Kyuubi didn't escalate to the point of physical abuse. The glares and outright hatred didn't really affect me much since I have people who like me despite my…tenant. Anyway, that is the reason why I kept my abilities and skills a secret. I know how the Civilian Council had you wrapped around their thumb, which confused me a bit since you're the Hokage and Konoha is a shinobi village so you have absolute power and control over the citizens, not the council. I think they would put up quite a stink if they realized that the 'demon brat' is getting stronger." He ignored the surprised look on the old man's face before it turned into a sly smile. _"Phase one …success!"_

"_**Time to move to phase two, kit."**_

"I see." Sarutobi said with a nod before his face turned serious. "Don't worry, Naruto-kun. I think I know how to fix this."

Naruto waved his hand dismissively, as if he never expected it to change but he knew better. It would seem that he gave the man an idea on how to deal with the village's treatment of him.

"No worries, old man. Besides, I don't need to worry about it for any longer. Once I become a Genin, any jurisdiction the civilian council has over me would be moot since I will be a shinobi under your command. One more day to go and I won't need to hide my skills any longer." Naruto said cheerfully making the Sandaime to laugh.

"You are right, Naruto-kun. You are definitely right on that one." Sandaime said with a chuckle before leveling the blonde a serious look. "Now, tell me how you know of the Kyuubi."

"Well, that comes with a weird story actually." Naruto started, chuckling as if remembering something funny. "You see, I was practicing chakra control in the training ground when my control slipped. I hit my head and passed out. I found myself inside a sewer with a large cage on it. Of course, I was afraid when I met the Kyuubi but it would seem that his reputation was blown out of proportions. Did you know that he was controlled when he attacked Konoha?"

Sarutobi was startled. Out of all the things he expected, he didn't expect this one. He gave Naruto a wary, yet serious look.

"Don't be fooled by the Kyuubi, Naruto-kun. He may be softening you up into trusting him so you would let him out of his cage." the Hokage warned his surrogate grandson.

Naruto shook his head in negative.

"Nah, not even once did the fox asked me to let him out." Naruto revealed, surprise showing on the aged leader's face. "In fact, he said and I quote: _I rather stay in this prison than be back outside for that damn Uchiha to control me like a pet again._"

Naruto rolled his eyes when he heard Kurama snort from his mindscape.

"I…see. Are you sure Kyuubi's telling the truth?" Sarutobi urged, wanting to get as many clarifications as possible since he couldn't detect a smidgen of deception from the boy in front of him.

"He did bring up a few interesting points, jiji." Naruto admitted. "Let's go down into history shall we? With the presence of the bijuus in the Elemental Nation, when was the time that Kyuubi attacked anything?"

Sarutobi thought for it a bit, recalling the various stories he heard of the bijuus.

"Well, the only time that Kyuubi was recorded to attack Konoha was during the Shodaime's battle with Uchiha Madara and the attack on Konoha during your birthday 14 years ago."

"Correct. Kyuubi said that he had no problems with humans in general except for those who tried to capture him, Kumo being an example of this, so he left us relatively alone. However, he was controlled by Uchiha Madara using his evolved _Sharingan_ to do battle with Shodaime Hokage, Senju Hashirama. Kyuubi mentioned that the Shodai used a sealing technique to destroy the contract that bound him to the man. But before he could get away, Uzumaki Mito used her prowess in seals to absorb Kyuubi and became his first jinchuuriki."

Sarutobi was staring at a calm Naruto with a flabbergasted look on his face. He couldn't deny the fact that Naruto brought up certain parts of history that he couldn't deny. For starters, Kyuubi wasn't lying in the least. There were only three cases where the Demon Fox attacked humans. The first was Kumo when they tried to capture him to add to their military might with the two other jinchuuriki in their arsenal. The second was during his sensei's time in a place now called the Valley of the End. The third was during Naruto's birth. It all made sense.

"So let me get this straight. Kyuubi doesn't want to escape from the seal because that would just give Madara the chance to control him again?" then a thought occurred to him. "Speaking of which, how in Kami is Uchiha Madara _still_ alive?"

Naruto saw his surrogate grandfather starting to get hysterical so he decided to nip this in the bud before the old man suffers a heart attack. Besides, the Sandaime's question opened up phase two quite nicely.

"Well, according to the Kyuubi, Uchiha Madara is still alive. He just didn't know _how_. He should be dead since no one can live THAT long outside the Uzumaki clan who is well-known for their longevity. My father and mother confirmed that as well." Naruto answered calmly, already expecting the next question.

"You…know who your parents are?" a stunned Sarutobi asked, his voice coming out tight and forced.

" My father is the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and my mother is Konoha's Red Hot Habanero, Uzumaki Kushina." Naruto said eagerly. He didn't pretend since he was always excited when it came to his parents. "Dad and mom appeared in the seal while I was talking to Kyuubi. They told me that during the sealing, they included a part of their chakra and soul into the _fuuinjutsu_ dad used so they would be there to watch over me until their energy ran out. Mom said that they aren't alive, but simply an echo of themselves tied to the seal. Anyway, they confirmed that it was definitely an Uchiha who yanked Kyuubi out of mom's seal that night. Kyuubi confirmed the story that he saw a man wearing an orange mask with a single _Sharingan_ eye who immediately controlled him. I think we all know what happened after that."

"I…think I understand." Sarutobi said with a small nod. He couldn't deny the fact that the boy was telling the truth. He was one of the few people who knew what happened that night. It was unbelievable though that Minato and Kushina sealed a part of themselves into their son. Trust the Yondaime to think of such things. The man was definitely a prodigy in the Sealing Arts. "So you're parents are currently inside you?"

Naruto's face turned sad. He didn't need to fake this too since he missed his parents very much. He knew that they were still inside the seal but it would take for him to actually remove the seal tag on Kurama's cage for the failsafe to activate.

"No, the chakra keeping their souls inside me ran out. They told me everything about the Namikaze and Uzumaki clan with Kyuubi supplying some helpful facts about my mother's family since he knows quite a bit about the famous Uzumaki Clan of Uzushiogakure no Sato." Naruto lied with a sad smile on his face. It was Jiraiya who supplied him with his clan's information. Not much since the others were clan sensitive and only his parents knew of them.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Naruto-kun." said Sarutobi with similar sadness. "You're parents were great people and powerful shinobi. I know they loved you very much. You should have seen your father's face when you came out. He was shouting his happiness for having a son. Kushina was in the same boat too."

"Could…could you tell me a bit about them sometime, jiji?" Naruto said with a bit of desperation in his voice. He really didn't know much about his mother and father with the short time they had in the seal in the previous timeline. This time, however, he would learn everything he could of his family from the man he considered a grandfather in all but blood.

"I'd be happy to do that, Naruto-kun. There's plenty of time for that when we're not busy with our schedule. Maybe we can talk about it over some ramen in the future?" promised the Sandaime before a sly smile appeared on his face. "I take it that your sudden aptitude in the shinobi arts was because of your parents living inside you?"

"Yep! They gave me some tips and pointers on how to get started on my training! They were inside me for a year and they made use of that time to train me as best as they could. Dad would teach me taijutsu and ninjutsu, while mom gave me some advice on my chakra control, physical training tips, and using Kyuubi's chakra. And look, I mastered dad's technique in just a month!" Naruto said with excitement as he held out his hand before forming a text-book perfect _Rasengan_ almost giving the aged Hokage a heart attack in the process.

"You know the _Rasengan_?" Sarutobi asked in a shocked, yet awed voice. If he didn't believe the boy before, he definitely believe him now since there were only three people who knew of Minato's jutsu – Jiraiya, Kakashi, and himself. Of course, he knew how it was done since Minato explained it to him but he didn't have the chakra control and mentality to pull it off. Only Jiraiya learned it since Kakashi couldn't master the third aspect of its creation, allowing him to jumpstart the creation of his two original techniques – the _Chidori_, and its stronger counterpart, the _Raikiri_. "Don't tell me he taught you the _Hiraishin_ too?"

Naruto shook his head in negative making the Hokage sigh in relief.

"I know the schematics of _Hiraishin no Jutsu_ but dad told me that I need to have a master's knowledge of _fuuinjutsu_, make sure my body could handle high-speed movement, and near-perfect chakra control to pull it off. I guess I might be able to do _Hiraishin_ in the future if I push through with my studies on seals and keep training my speed which I'm doing right now, by the way." Naruto said sadly. He knew how the _Hiraishin_ worked thanks to Jiraiya explaining the concept to him in the previous timeline but recreating his father's famed space-time jutsu was out of his reach at the moment since he didn't have a solid foundation on the Sealing Arts. He did promise himself to continue studying though but the lack of books about the subject was a hindrance. An idea occurred to him. "Hey jiji, can you give me some books on seals? I already checked the library and there's nothing there other than the basics."

Sarutobi chuckled. The boy was definitely turning out to be surprising shinobi. Naruto was definitely strong considering who trained him, two Kage-level shinobi who made Iwa and Kumo quake in their proverbial boots. He was astounded at Naruto's growth since with only a year of his parents training him, he turned out to be someone to be reckoned with. He knew that the boy was going to go far.

"Of course. Before Kyuubi attacked, your father brought all of his books and scrolls to me for safekeeping. I was going to give them to you when you made Chuunin so you can study them. Your mother also had a few scrolls around that she got from Mito-sama so that is part of your inheritance as well. Since you already know of your parents, I can give them to you. Your parents also have a decent size property in one of the secluded parts of the village so you can stay there instead of your apartment. I'll give you your inheritance later, alright?"

"Sure thing, jiji. That would be so cool!" Naruto crowed as he couldn't keep his excitement under control. No wonder Jiraiya told him that all of his mother and father's possession was lost since he didn't know that his dad gave it to the Sandaime for safekeeping. He was so going to kick Madara and Obito's ass in the future. He could practically feel Kurama's excitement from behind the seal.

"_**Kit, you might want to come up with something regarding the Toad Contract. You can mention that your father told you about it and to relay it to the pervert or the geezer."**_Kurama quipped, seeing the chance to give Naruto an edge in battle.

"_Good point. Let me do that now."_ thought Naruto. "Jiji, dad told me to tell you or…um…Jiraiya about the Toad Contract. He and Kyuubi discussed it at some length that I would need a 'key' of sorts to complete sync with Kyuubi."

"Hm, I'm not sure what Minato meant but I'm sure Jiraiya knows something about it. Tell you what, I'll send word after our talk to have Jiraiya meet with you next time he's in the village." Sarutobi offered, not really surprised that Minato gave explicit instructions to his son to make him stronger.

"Thanks, old man." Naruto cheered, happy that one of his plans was being accelerated. If things work out, he would be able to completely sync with Kurama before the Chuunin Exams. He definitely needed the extra ace since he and his team would be facing Orochimaru. His goal was to reach the tower before the attack or take the snake idiot down.

"You're welcome, Naruto-kun. Now, tell me how far you are in your training? Don't leave anything out." Sarutobi asked the boy who now had a thoughtful look on his face. He didn't know that the blonde was busy talking to his tenant.

"_So, you think I should tell him?"_

"_**I think you should. You know my ability to sense negative emotions. I didn't get any from the old man so he is trustworthy. Besides, if he knows how strong you are then he would be more forthcoming. This would also open up a way for you to inform him of Orochimaru's planned invasion during the Chuunin Exam. I think we both agree that he shouldn't die this time around."**_

"_I forgot about that. Thanks for reminding me. Well, here goes."_ Naruto said before ending his mental conversation with his tenant and addressing his surrogate grandfather. "Well, I started with chakra control after researching it in the library since I can't make the Academy Bunshin. Mom said that was normal since Kyuubi ensured that I have too much chakra to completely control. She taught me the _Kage Bunshin_ though so that's good."

"So Kushina taught you the _Kage Bunshin_ eh?" Sarutobi mused. "You should know that Kushina was the one who gave that technique to Konoha when she relocated here from Uzu. The Uzumaki clan is well-known for their potent chakra. Add Kyuubi to the mix then you have more chakra than anyone. Continue please, Naruto-kun."

"Thanks for the information, old man. Anyway, I already mastered Tree Climbing and Water Walking but I still can't control my chakra enough for an illusionary clone. That was when mom taught methe _Kage Bunshin_ and its ability to relay information. Let me tell you, that technique is a godsend. Thanks to mom's tip about that, my training improved since I can assign clones to do one form of training while I do others without wasting time."

Sarutobi nodded in approval, grinning at how Naruto was able to make use of a chakra-taxing technique to his advantage.

"Good call on that one. I think only someone of your caliber can safely use that technique to increase the benefits of shinobi training. How many can you bring out?"

"I'm not sure. The last time I tried using most of my chakra produced three hundred stable clones." Naruto said with a shrug. He could make more using Kurama's chakra but the Sandaime didn't need to know that.

"Three…hundred? Uh…proceed." Sarutobi was dizzy. He knew that Naruto had tons of chakra to spare but he didn't know the boy had _that_ much. The boy was a ninjutsu powerhouse! He wondered if he still have any of that Sake left. No wonder Tsunade always drink. It definitely helps keeping his sanity intact.

Naruto snickered at the glazed look on the old leader's face.

"Let me see, dad taught me the Toad Style taijutsu he learned from his sensei then his _Rasengan_. Mom tried to teach me her chakra chains but it would seem that the technique was only unique to her. Dad trained me in my wind affinity since he is wind natured as well. I can also do basic to intermediate seals but I need to practice my calligraphy to improve my speed in making them. Oh yeah, dad also had me train using weights to improve my speed since it is necessary if I decide to do _Hiraishin,_ something about the pressure of an almost-teleportation destroying the body if it is not accustomed to it. I think that's it."

"I see. So I take it that you helped Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura in their training?" Sarutobi asked mildly. Learning it from Kakashi was one thing, getting the details from Naruto was definitely worst.

Naruto nodded in affirmative.

"I made friends with the two and they wanted to join me in my training. I used what I learned in the library and during classes to help them along. They already mastered Tree Climbing and Water Walking but they were the ones to branch out with their training. Sasuke is more of a ninjutsu-genjutsu fighter while Sakura is a support medic and taijutsu specialist with her strength. Let me tell you, that girl can definitely control her chakra. She is a monster!" Naruto said with a shudder which was unconsciously mimicked by the Sandaime since he knew the feeling courtesy of Tsunade. "Oh yeah, before you ask, they know of the Kyuubi and they had no problems with it."

"I know. My ANBU told me you used Kyuubi's chakra and how you talked to them about it. Speaking of which, what can you do with Kyuubi's chakra and why is he helping you out?"

"Kyuubi is helping me because he doesn't want a weak container." Naruto said with a shrug.

"_**Damn right, I don't."**_ Kurama quipped.

"That's reasonable…I guess." Sarutobi said dubiously. Who knew that the Kyuubi was a vain bijuu? He wondered if the demon fox was right in the head.

"_**Why do I suddenly have an urge to kill disbelieving old men?"**__ Kurama muttered darkly all of a sudden._

"_I think you need sleep, Kurama. You haven't had any for two days now since you were planning for the future."_

"_**I think you're right. I'll take a nap. Wake me up if something interesting happens. Good night."**_

"_It's still morning."_

"_**You know what I mean."**_growled the fox before Naruto felt his mental link with his partner end.

"Anything else, old man?" Naruto asked as he made himself comfortable on the couch. "I still have training with Sasuke and Sakura in an hour."

"What can you do with Kyuubi's chakra?"

"Hm, I can use a bit of it to strengthen my clones. Actually, that was Kyuubi's idea and it works too. I can use up to five tails of his chakra safely without repercussion since he is helping me get used to his energy. He said to take it slow since my body needed to mature to handle more of his power. Being Kyuubi's jinchuuriki, he gave me an ability to form my chakra info a shroud that I can use for defense and offense. I trained with it for a while now and it's so cool!"

"I know. My ANBU told me about it as well." said Sarutobi with a nod, happy with the answer. He was a bit worried about Kyuubi letting Naruto use his power but he would give the bijuu the benefit of a doubt for now. He needed to get Jiraiya and Tsunade back into the village and it had better be soon. He stood up from his chair and went over to the portrait of the Yondaime. He took it off the wall to reveal a safe. He bit his thumb to draw blood and swiped it across the seal on its face to disable the protection. He opened the safe and took out three scrolls before going back to the table. "Here is your inheritance, Naruto-kun. The reason I didn't give this to you before was because you weren't mature enough to handle it though it's safe to say that you're definitely mature enough for them now."

Naruto took the scrolls and saw that it was labeled accordingly. The blue scroll had 'Namikaze' written on its face while the red one had 'Uzumaki', The third one had 'Money'. He looked at the Hokage who was writing something on a piece of paper and looked at him when he was done.

"Those are modified storage scrolls your father made before he passed away. They hold more items than your usual storage seals so all of their books and scrolls are in there. The third scroll is the money they accumulated throughout their lifetime. Let's say that you're one of the richest members of this village and leave it at that." the aged leader handed the paper to Naruto. "This is the address of your parent's estate. They had protective seals around the compound, sealing it off to everyone except those with their blood. To open the estate, all you need to do is to place a bit of blood on the Uzumaki swirl beside the gate. The seals will do the rest."

"Thanks, jiji." Naruto said with a large smile on his face.

"You're welcome, Naruto-kun. My office is open anytime if you wish for us to talk about your parents. Good luck in your exam though I daresay you don't need it." Sarutobi said with a smile on his face.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Naruto immediately looked for Sakura and Sasuke, and found both of them training in their usual spot. The two forgave him for skipping out on training for the day when the blonde informed them of what transpired in the Hokage's office. They agreed to meet tomorrow in the Academy for their exam.

He easily located his parents' house thanks to the direction the Hokage gave him. The Namikaze and Uzumaki clan house was found deep in a forest just beside Training Ground 44, or lovingly called the Forest of Death by the locals. He couldn't imagine why his parents placed their clan home in such a dangerous area but it was irrelevant since there was a rather large wall that separated his soon-to-be home from his dangerous and rabid neighbors.

Accessing the compound was easy since the seal powering the protection recognized his blood. The gate opened to reveal a large two-storey home. The grounds were spacious but needs to be worked on since the garden was overgrown and all over the place. It was nothing a few hundred clones couldn't fix.

He toured the outside first, noting the sizable training ground complete with equipments behind the house. There was a fenced vegetable garden that needs to be tended as well since it was similar to the garden out front. A small shed that Naruto knew contained gardening supplies judging from the tools littering one side of it. He noticed that the wall separating the compound from the Forest of Death was littered with slightly glowing seals he wasn't familiar with. He made a point to look at his parents' journal if available to see what they did and maybe learn them himself. It could be useful in the long run.

Naruto definitely liked his new home and his parents definitely knew how to live in style. The living room sported modern amenities and the couch was definitely comfortable enough to sleep on. The kitchen was grand and Naruto had a sneaky suspicion that he inherited his cooking skills from either his dad or mom, possibly both. Everything he needed was there and couldn't help get started. He checked the cupboard and noticed that the food there were still fresh thanks to the preservation seals lining the insides. He couldn't say the same thing about the fridge though judging from the smell coming from it.

He continued exploring the first floor. He found a guest room and a mini library that had basic books and scrolls about the shinobi arts. Nothing interesting that merited his attention. However, what made him curious was a door lined with seals that wouldn't budget no matter how much he tried to force it open. Heck, even a _Rasengan_ didn't dent the damn thing.

Following his instinct, he bit his finger and placed the bleeding digit on the Uzumaki swirl on the face. It glowed for a bit before hearing an audible click that gave evidence to the door unlocking, granting him entry. He went inside and couldn't help but marvel at the real library of the Uzumaki and Namikaze Clan.

Quite a lot of books and scrolls on various shinobi arts lined the shelves. He excitedly checked them out to discover that his parents were a neat freak. Each shelf was labeled – fuuinjutsu, ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, and general books. Heck, there was a small shelf dedicated to summoning contracts and Naruto saw three large scrolls there with the Kanji of Cat, Bear, and Wolf. Naruto drooled at the things he could learn with the help of his parents' library.

He regretfully stopped checking out the library to move to the second floor. He saw his parents' rather large bedroom and decided that it would be his room from now on. There was another room of the same size beside it and it was sparsely decorated. The third room brought tears to his eyes. It was a baby's room, his room. It had a banner stating 'Welcome to the world, Naruto!' and stuffed toys by the dozens. His love for his parents in his heart bloomed since this was visual evidence that they cared for him even before he came out of his mother's womb.

Grinning like a loon, Naruto closed the nursery before exiting the house to get started in fixing his new home. He created a hundred clones and assigned them into groups to empty his apartment to be brought to his new home, clean the garden and vegetable patch, clean the kitchen and the fridge, and buy food and other necessities. He also told some of the clones to check the training ground and to update the place on the latest training equipments. His friends would definitely get a kick out of this.

He made a mental note to check his parent's journal to see if they had notes on the security seals on the property.

Seeing that everything was well on its way to fixing his new home, he retired to his parents' bedroom to get started on the scrolls his parents left him.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Naruto now knew why his parents didn't leave the scrolls in their secured library. The scrolls contained clan-related information related to the Namikaze and Uzumaki clan. The money was also quite welcome and Naruto was dumbfounded when his clones finished counting the stash that practically took up half the room. He was a millionaire and made a mental note to drop a few million of it in the bank and leaving the rest inside the scroll for safekeeping.

The blue scroll contained information on the Namikaze Clan, his father's notes on _Rasengan_ and _Hiraishin_, research on some fuuinjutsu designs he had in the works, as well as some wind jutsus his father had been working on. He was giddy in actually having the original blueprint of the _Hiraishin no Jutsu_ since that would definitely speed up the learning of his father's famed technique that earned him the moniker of Yellow Flash. He still planned to learn fuuinjutsu though since it was a very useful art.

According to a scroll on Namikaze Clan history, the family itself came from Kumo but relocated to Konoha after almost being wiped out by a rival clan who was quite jealous of their control over wind. That and the fact that the clan held the counter to the country's lightning affinity didn't help them in the least. Naruto now knew why he had a powerful affinity to wind. It was a bloodline he acquired from his father – allowing them to manipulate wind for both offense and defense without resorting to hand signs. _Hiraishin_ was actually an adaptation to the speed technique of the clan's wind affinity though _Hiraishin_ just took it to the extreme.

The Uzumaki clan history wasn't really new to Naruto, only shedding a few lights to Kurama's knowledge of his mother's family being a descendant of the Rikkudo Sennin. However, the scroll also contained his mother's personal training journal, Uzumaki water jutsus, and his mother's sword, Benihime, were a welcome revelation. He made a mental note to learn his mother's kenjutsu since it was part of his legacy.

It was already three hours past midnight that Naruto finally finished looking through the inheritance his parents left him. He decided to call it a night since he needed to rest up for the graduation exam in the morning. He knew that he could easily ace the thing on his worst day but he didn't want to leave things to chance.

Besides, he knew that Mizuki would be making a break for the Forbidden Scroll so he needed to be in top form tomorrow to bring the man down. An evil grin made its way to his face as he fell into a deep sleep.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Naruto was grinning like a loon seeing the frustrated face of Mizuki when he aced the written test and the weapons proficiency test. He, Sakura, and Sasuke were practically plowing their way through the exam, doing everything in a perfect way that left their classmates in the dust. It didn't help that the trio were joking around without a care in the world as if the exams were a joke.

The blonde couldn't help but notice Sasuke's fan club giving Sakura a glare as his pink-haired surrogate sister happily chatted with the last loyal Uchiha of Konoha, him enjoying the conversation much to their ire. Naruto wasn't worried since Sakura could easily handle a bunch of fan girls with her super strength. They'll definitely regret crossing her at this point in time.

Naruto couldn't help but snicker when the alphabetical order of the examinees caused Mizuki to fight his two friends who knew that he resented their blonde surrogate brother because of what he carried within him. Sakura practically brought him down in one blow after using her speed to get under his guard while Sasuke toyed with him at first before getting bored of the whole thing and gave the man a cracked rib and bruises with a furious punch-kick combo while holding back a majority of his strength.

Naruto was surprised, however, when Yamanaka Ino was called before him making her Iruka's partner. It would seem that Mizuki wanted to have a crack at him. Naruto grinned evilly causing the people who saw it to take a step back. Who was he to disappoint?

When he was called to the ring, Mizuki was already there waiting for him, grinning as if he won the jackpot. When Iruka called the fight to start, the white-haired Chuunin shot forward at max speed. The examinees gasped when they saw him disappear from his spot. To Naruto and his friends, it was like he was moving in slow motion. Their daily high-speed spars definitely honed their sight to the point that they could follow at pin-point accuracy even when a person was moving at top speed. They knew they still had a long way to go but they were working on it.

So far, only Sasuke could see up to Jounin level speeds thanks to his _Sharingan_, though that didn't stop Naruto and Sakura honing their instincts to keep up.

Naruto dodged a frontal punch that would have caved his face. He continued to evade Mizuki's overpowered blows with a smile which turned into a huge grin when he saw the frustration on the man's face.

It was already two minutes into the fight that Naruto decided to go into the offensive since he only has a minute left till the time limit. He ducked to avoid a high-kick from the side before kicking the man's exposed leg from under him, causing Mizuki to fall on his back. He didn't give the downed Chuunin a chance to recuperate. He ended the fight with a chakra enhanced elbow drop to the man's stomach. Mizuki screamed in pain before blacking out.

The entire class was silent at the brutal way Uzumaki Naruto felled their Chuunin instructor.

Iruka, however, gave Naruto a smile before looking disappointedly at his downed co-instructor. He looked at the class and raised his hand signaling the end of the fight.

"Winner. Uzumaki Naruto."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Naruto was shadowing Iruka since the theft of the scroll was discretely announced. He was perched just outside the Hokage's window listening to the report before the aged leader dispatched everyone to search for the culprit. The blonde knew that Iruka would find the traitor first since the scar-faced instructor was a sensor and Naruto knew that his sensei sensed the chakra signature of the person who went into the Hokage's office to steal the Forbidden Scroll of Seals.

It was half an hour later that Naruto saw Iruka confront Mizuki while the man was about to leave the village walls. A small fight ensued between the two instructors with Naruto deciding to play the wait-and-see game since he wasn't around this time to distract Iruka from the fight.

However, it proved that fate didn't do him any favors when Mizuki resorted to his trump card that Naruto didn't know he had. Mizuki pulled out a vial containing a purple liquid of sorts and downed it one go. The blonde thought it was poison at first but he was disabused of that assumption when Mizuki's chakra burst forth from his body as he transformed into something similar to a tiger.

Knowing that Iruka was in trouble now since Naruto could sense with his limited sensor abilities that Mizuki's energy levels went from Chuunin level to Jounin, he decided to butt in and right on time too since the traitor dashed at Iruka at Jounin level speeds, intent to take the man's head off with a swipe of his now-clawed hands if not for Naruto intercepting it.

Naruto dropped his weights and used his speed to appear in front of his favorite sensei, grabbed Mizuki's outstretched arm by the wrist and turned, using the momentum to throw the transformed man to the side with all of his strength to smack back first into a tree with a loud crack. Unfortunately for Naruto, it would seem that Mizuki's body was stronger now since it was the tree that gave way.

"Are you alright, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked Iruka, not taking his eyes off the transformed Chuunin. Naruto had a sneaky feeling that whatever Mizuki drank was similar to the effect of the cursed seal due to the black tattoos covering the man's face. It would seem that Orochimaru was behind the man's defection and the theft of Konoha's prized relic.

"N-Naruto! What are you doing here? Get away now! Mizuki is dangerous!" Iruka all but screamed but was surprised when Naruto simply gave him a smile.

"Let me take care of this, Iruka-sensei. Besides," Naruto then looked up when he sensed two familiar chakra signatures. "Cavalry has arrived."

"What?" asked Iruka before looking up to see Haruno Sakura adjusting the gloves on her hand and Uchiha Sasuke glaring at Mizuki with his complete _Sharingan_ and one hand on the handle of his chokuto. "Sasuke? Sakura?"

"What are you two doing here?" Naruto asked the two who both leveled him a smirk.

"You think that we're going to let you have all the fun?" Sasuke asked rhetorically but Sakura conked him on the head. "Ow! What was that for woman?"

"Ignore the bloodthirsty idiot." she deadpanned, giving Sasuke a condescending look. "We were on our way to your apartment when he heard the news of the Forbidden Scroll being stolen. We immediately went to your apartment but we didn't find you there. However, I was able to find you using your chakra signature so here we are."

"I'm not surprised you found me but now is not a good time to jump in." Naruto said grimly as he nudged his head toward the tiger-like Mizuki pushing himself off the ground. He saw the man's eyes and realized that the man known as Mizuki wasn't there anymore. There was a feral quality there that meant that whatever he drank destroyed whatever sanity he had to begin with. "That…thing is no longer Mizuki-teme."

To answer their questioning look, Mizuki roared as powerful purple chakra manifested from his body, shooting towards the sky. Iruka shivered at the amount of malicious energy the man was releasing but was shocked to see the tree newly-minted Genins not even afraid as they shifted their focus on the man beast in front of them.

"Let's get out of here, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke." urged Iruka, prepared to grab Naruto and make a run for it. He knew that the chakra spike would draw the ANBU to their location. "Only ANBU can take care of him now."

Naruto shrugged before looking at his surrogate brother and sister who both nodded at him, their faces grim.

"We'll take care of it, Iruka-sensei. Just relax and watch the show." Naruto said with a smile on his face before disappearing and reappearing in front of Mizuki and gave him an uppercut to the chin. He winced since Mizuki's skin was like metal. It hurt but he knew that his healing factor was already working its magic.

Iruka was awed when Naruto used pure speed that outmatched his own to appear under Mizuki's guard and gave him an uppercut that threw the man into the air. He was shocked when Sasuke used the same speed to continue the uppercut that pushed Mizuki higher. His jaw dropped when Sakura appeared on top of man and punched him on the face towards the ground with a fist laced with concentrated chakra. Mizuki hit the ground with a crash and the force of Sakura's chakra enhanced strength formed a deep crater on the impact site.

The trio appeared at the edge of the Mizuki-made crater.

"A bit excessive on the strength there, Sakura." Sasuke commented as he eyed how deep the crater was, roughly 15 feet if he was not mistaken. He winced when he felt a slight pain on his hand "Man, did Mizuki eat metal for breakfast? Hitting his face was like hitting one."

"Must be something he ate." Sakura noted as she healed her friend's hand.

"Drank actually. It's not over, guys." Naruto warned when another chakra spike came out of the crater. "Mizuki's not down for the count yet."

"No shit." Sasuke exclaimed as he pulled out his chokuto in a reverse grip while channeling lighting chakra into the blade, covering it with highly concentrated lightning. He gave the two a look. "All out?"

"Might as well." Naruto said with a shrug. "He's not going down that easily if we don't take him seriously. Just don't kill him. I'm sure jiji wants to have a crack at him during interrogation."

"Fine with me." said Sasuke before the three of them jumped away when Mizuki suddenly appeared where they once stood and destroyed the ground with a chakra enhanced punch.

Iruka marveled at the teamwork his three former students displayed as they danced around Mizuki and getting under his guard, giving out attacks that would put Chuunins to shame while dodging effectively without pause. Sasuke used his chokuto with amazing accuracy, piercing through Mizuki's enhanced defense, cutting muscles and tendons that would incapacitate any regular shinobi. Sakura was practically punching and kicking Mizuki with enough force that threw the man-tiger around the clearing, destroying trees and ground with equal ferocity.

The Academy instructor was surprised when Naruto used what looked like wind blades on his hands to riddle Mizuki's body with cuts and gashes, weakening the man with pain and blood loss.

It seemed that everything was going to end since Sakura jumped high into the air, one of her legs raised high in a perfect vertical split. Iruka noticed her boot covered with concentrated chakra.

"Take this!" she screamed as she brought her boot down on Mizuki's head, making it to snap down and bringing the rest of the body with him. The traitor's body impacted the ground with so much force that another crater was formed, this time bigger than the last one. Naruto appeared on top of a downed Mizuki with a glowing orb of chakra on his palm before shoving it onto the center of the man's back, drilling away the enhanced skin to reveal bloody muscles and bone underneath.

Sasuke made the final blow by appearing beside the man with a lightning coated palm strike on the spot where Naruto's attack hit. Iruka winced when Mizuki released a scream as the pain of the three attacks was magnified by the surge of lightning chakra coursing through his body. Mizuki stopped screaming when he passed out from the trio's unrelenting barrage.

Iruka looked at the faces of the trio who was looking down at Mizuki with satisfied smiles on their faces. These three were definitely not normal Genins.

* * *

**End of Chapter 4**

**Please leave a comment or a review**


	5. Chapter 5

**imsabbel: **Thanks for the review and the points you brought up is much appreciated. I know that it is somewhat cliche and a very-used line concerning inheritance and legacy, but I just can't help myself. True that the Canon is different but this is a fan story so I'll do it in a way that appeases both my muse and my desire to give Naruto a better life. Anyway, thanks for the heads up. You gave me an idea for another story which I will probably write in the future.

**DragonBard: **Yes, Hiraishin is a space/time technique, similar to summoning. I just modified it a bit to fit in with the Namikaze bloodline I made up on the spot while I was tinkering with the plot (tee hee I made a rhyme). I will have the explanation of the modified Hiraishin in later chapters.

**FreeWeirdGal: **My lips and fingers are sealed. Heheheh no spoilers for you, my friend. Wait for the plot to work itself out.

** .3950: **The speed of my update depends on how active my muse is. As it stands, she is VERY active right now, feeding me ideas. I wonder if my muse ate a lot of sugar to merit the sugar-rush symptoms.

**edboy4926: **I'm not sure when. It is a secret after all. ^_^

**Regaring Pairing:**

**No, there won't be a pairing as of yet or possibly none at all. I am concentrating on Team 7, and later on, the rest of the Rookie 9. If there is a pairing then it would be way way waaaaaay into the future. **

**Regarding Naruto's age**

**I know that I am deviating from the Canon timeline regarding Naruto's age, when he started the Academy, and the age they graduated. Keep in mind people that this is FAN fiction, so expect it to deviate from Canon according to the author's (mine) point of view. I just want them to be older, that's all. Consider it a freedom to be creative and leave it that that. *grin***

**Regarding changes in Canon:**

**Thanks for the reviews and comments. I want to address certain points brought up by my amazing readers. I wanted to modify some of the canon-based explanations to suit my own ends for this story. Here are some them:**

**[Uzumaki Healing Factor]**

**I checked Wiki and some friends of mine that are Naruto diehard fans. They told me plenty of times that Uzumaki are known for their strong life force and longevity. There is nothing in the manga that said that their healing factor/regeneration is a part of it. Since the manga didn't explain anything regarding Naruto's regeneration, I decided to spin the story that includes Kyuubi/Kurama's Yang Chakra.**

**I reasoned that many reacted to this since they read in other fan stories of Naruto's healing factor being an Uzumaki bloodline. **

**[Hiraishin no Jutsu]**

**Hiraishin no Jutsu worked similar to Warp, being a space/time technique. For this story, I am modifying it a bit to become a speed technique with a bit of a twist to make it interesting.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

**Summary: Time-Travel Story. Naruto died in the Fourth Shinobi War. Kami granted him a boon, returned him to his body with his and Kurama's memories of the future intact. This time, Naruto vowed to do things differently. Powerful Naruto, Powerful Team 7, No Bashing, Not Yaoi, No ships as of yet. Slight AU.**

* * *

**Round Two: A Naruto Time-Travel Story**

**Chapter 5**

**Team 7, Assemble!**

* * *

"Congratulations on your first B-Rank mission." the Sandaime addressed the grinning trio. Sarutobi couldn't deny the fact that these three were the finest shinobi Konoha produced in this generation and that's saying something considering that their group sported clan heirs. "Even if you three are not on a team yet, I'll add this to your shinobi profile. Except for Iruka, all of you are dismissed."

"No sweat, jiji. See you tomorrow!" Naruto said with a huge grin on his face before it morphed into one of pain when Sakura conked him on the head. "What was that for, Sakura-chan?"

"Have respect for the Hokage, Naruto-baka." she all but screamed at the whining blonde before bowing apologetically to the chuckling leader. "My apologies, Hokage-sama. I'm still teaching him manners."

"Nothing to worry about, Sakura. I know that Naruto respects me and that's his unique way of showing it." the Sandaime told her. "Now all of you go home and rest up. It's already past midnight and you still have team placement later."

"Hai!" all three exclaimed in unison before leaving the office.

Iruka waited for the door to close before addressing a rather amused Hokage. "They're something else, aren't they?"

"That they are." Sarutobi agreed before putting on his business face. "Report, Iruka-kun."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Iruka said. "I traced the signature of the thief and followed it towards the forest on the northern boundaries of the village. It was there that I discovered that it was Touji Mizuki who took the scroll. I immediately confronted him in hopes of taking him down and retrieve the scroll. I had the upper hand but Mizuki drank something that transformed him into a man-tiger hybrid with Jounin level chakra reserves. It was then that Naruto appeared and skillfully countered Mizuki's charge that would have killed me."

"Indeed." said Sarutobi before taking a deep pull from his pipe. "Proceed."

"It was at that moment that Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura appeared and the three of them attacked Mizuki together. The first coordinated attack was pulled off so perfectly that Mizuki was immediately put down. However, it would seem that whatever the traitor drank gave him not only a chakra boost, but added durability as well. The fight continued, but this time, the three displayed skills that far surpassed their peers in the Academy." said Iruka with awe. "I can't describe it, Hokage-sama. I don't know how they pulled it off but they hid their skills from everyone."

Sarutobi nodded before chuckling at the pole-axed look on the man's face.

"Don't worry about it, Iruka-kun. If not for a whim, I wouldn't have discovered it myself. Let's just say that Naruto lived up to his status as the most surprising individual in Konoha and leave it at that." Sarutobi said in an amused tone. "Now, tell me how they took down Mizuki in his transformed state?"

"Speed, Hokage-sama, speed and teamwork." Iruka answered immediately, replaying the battle in his mind. "Mizuki was Jounin-level in terms of speed and power but Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were able to see him despite his movements, initiated counter maneuvers that slowly destroyed his defenses before implementing their final attacks – Sakura with a chakra-enhanced kick that I swear looked similar to Tsunade-sama's, Naruto used a chakra ball-like construct that destroyed the first layer of Mizuki's hardened skin, and finally, Sasuke used a palm attack coated in concentrated lightning chakra that fried Mizuki to unconsciousness."

"Interesting. It would seem that Naruto-kun trained his friends well." Sarutobi mused out loud, surprising the Chuunin instructor.

"What?" Iruka asked, stunned. Naruto trained Sasuke and Sakura? Who trained Naruto? "How did they become so strong, Hokage-sama?"

"According to Naruto-kun's explanation, Sakura and Sasuke joined his training regimen roughly four years ago and trained every day in a hidden training ground behind the Hokage Monument. They started off with chakra control exercises since that was Naruto's focus due to his inability to make an Academy Bunshin which can be blamed on his immense chakra reserves." Iruka nodded in agreement. "I guess it started there and all of them branched out according to their specialties and interests. You can see the results of their training on how they handled Mizuki."

"I can't disagree with that, Hokage-sama. If I had my way, I would promote them to Chuunin with the skills they demonstrated." Iruka said wryly with the Hokage nodded in agreement.

"I would too but that would be a bad move, Iruka-kun. After all, how do you think the villagers would react if they heard that Kyuubi's jinchuuriki immediately advanced in rank with just a day after becoming a Genin." Sarutobi said wryly. He was about to say more when someone knocked on his door. "Yes?"

The door opened to reveal his secretary. "Hatake Kakashi is here as you requested, Hokage-sama."

"Send him in please." said the Sandaime before turning to Iruka. "You're dismissed, Iruka-kun."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." said Iruka before making his way to the door, nodding a greeting to the one-eyed Jounin before exiting the office and closing the door behind him.

"You called for me, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked in his trademark lazy drawl.

"Yes, we have much to discuss, Kakashi, so you might as well grab a seat. This is going to take a while." the Sandaime said with a sigh. This was going to be a long night.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Team assignment was boring in the least but the three were fidgeting in their seats the whole time. The class was treated to a sight of three nervous individuals, three of their classmates hailed to be prodigies and perfect Genins that came out of the Academy since Uchiha Itachi and Namikaze Minato.

These three were Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura. However, their fidgeting stopped to be replaced by shouts of happiness when Iruka announced that the trio was a team, Team 7 to be exact. Quite a lot of the new Genins grumbled about that since one of them would be a great boon to any group. Having three of them in a single team meant overkill in anyone's books. They couldn't complain out loudsince they all knew that the teams were decided on by the Hokage and doing so could cost them their careers.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kakashi silently opened the door to see his new team. He purposely came in late to test their patience and couldn't help but be proud as the trio was making use of their time wisely.

The one-eyed Jounin saw the blonde-haired Uzumaki Naruto writing seals on a spare scroll, his hand held steady as the brush glided over the paper.

Uchiha Sasuke was playing with a ball of lightning, throwing it into the air, catching it, before repeating the same move over and over again. It was an impressive display of elemental control from a Genin.

Haruno Sakura was pouring over an anatomy book which made Kakashi smile since a medic in any team was a lucky break.

"Team 7?" he asked the group but was shocked when a barrage of shurikens, kunais, and lightning senbons flew at him from the trio. He quickly substituted himself with a chair from the corner while making a mental note NOT to startle these three under pain of death. He won't be making the same mistake twice considering the damage their attack did to the poor furniture. "I give you all extra points for accuracy, speed, and awareness, though I will have to deduct points for attacking your sensei."

The trio gave him a sheepish grin before standing in attention in front of him, making Kakashi nod in approval.

"Alright team, meeting on the roof in 5 minutes." He said before disappearing in a puff of smoke and leaves, a trademark Konoha _Shunshin._

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke looked at each other, shrugged before following their sensei's example, using _Shunshin_ to exit the room to their destination.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kakashi was quite surprised when he saw his team appear in front of him using the Body Flicker technique. It was a Chuunin level supplementary jutsu and these three were using it and using it well. He made a mental note to really question the trio about their abilities. He remembered the Sandaime's advice concerning this team – expect the unexpected.

"I give you another point for getting here before the deadline. Let's introduce ourselves shall we? You start, blondie." He suggested pointing at Naruto.

"Why don't you start first, _Jounin-seisei-san_, since you're practically the unknown here." said Naruto with a smile though he was inwardly cheering to see Kakashi again. The last time he saw the man was during the Fourth Shinobi War while facing the Juubi.

"Hm, another point." Kakashi quipped.

"Do the points matter?" Sasuke asked, curious.

"Not really." the one-eyed Jounin admitted causing a tick mark to appear on the trio's forehead. Kakashi decided to stop the jokes since Sakura was adjusting her gloves, a clear sign that she was going to give someone a good beating and he had this feeling that this someone was going to be him. "Alright, I'll go first. My name is Hatake Kakashi. My likes….hm, don't really want to share that. I dislike some things. My dream? I'm not sure. I have hobbies that I'm sure wouldn't interest you."

Naruto, however, had other ideas since he wanted to prank the man. He knew that his sensei would never volunteer information if he could help it or when needed. Not this time. He pulled out a small black notebook and flipped a few pages before reading out loud.

"Hatake Kakashi, otherwise knowns as Copy-Cat Kakashi or _Sharingan no Kakashi_ because of the transplanted _Sharingan_ in his left eye, and also known for his feat of copying over 1000 jutsus. Currently A-rank in bounty though it is rumored that he could have been an S-rank easily if he wasn't so lazy." said Naruto though he added the last part on Kurama's prompting, which was somewhat true. "He was the student of the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and was part of the previous Team 7 composed of Uchiha Obito and Inuzuka Rin. He likes to collect and read the Icha Icha Paradise series written by Jiraiya of the Sannin. He is always two to three hours late unless commanded by the Hokage or anything above C-rank missions." He finished before closing the book.

"Where did you get the bingo book?" Kakashi asked calmly while looking at the blonde with a lazy eye. However, he was inwardly fuming for letting the blonde steal his thunder. Damn prodigious blonde.

Sasuke scrutinized the book Naruto was holding before realizing what it was.

"Naruto, why do you have my father's Bingo Book?" Sasuke asked in a deceptively mild tone.

"Uh…you gave it to me?" Naruto replied a bit guilty making his surrogate brother scoff. "Hey, you practically gave it to me since you said that I can take out any book as long it's not clan-related. As you well know, a Bingo Book is _not_ clan-related."

Sasuke shrugged. "Fine. That's an old copy anyway so you might want to get a new one for updated information."

"I'll do that." said Naruto with a grin. "If I know where to get one that is."

"You can get it from the Mission's Office for 1000 Ryo." Kakashi informed the blonde who nodded at him in thanks. "Alright, let's get back to topic here. Now that you know about me thanks to _blondie_ over here; you start. "

"Fine, but for the record, my name is Uzumaki Naruto, not _blondie_. I like training, my _partner_, Sasuke and Sakura, Hokage-jiji, and the Ichiraku family. My dislikes includes people who judge people without getting to know them, snakes, and people hell-bent on world domination. My hobbies include training, studying seals, hanging out with Sasuke and Sakura, um…cooking and trying out new recipes. My dream is to become a powerful shinobi and protect my precious people." Sakura coughed. "Oh yeah, I aim to be the next Hokage after jiji if he kicks the bucket."

"That's…good." said Kakashi, trying to work his way around why the boy hated snakes and people who aim for world domination. He chalked it up to a kid's imagination. "You next, duck butt."

"Watch who you calling duck-butt, Cyclops." Sasuke all but growled before huffing. "My name's Uchiha Sasuke. I like training, Naruto and Sakura, lightning, and tomatoes. I dislike people who hurt my friends, traitors, and a certain man." Everyone knew he was talking about Itachi. "My hobbies include growing tomatoes, kenjutsu, practicing lightning manipulation, and hanging out with my friends. My dream is to avenge my family and restore my clan's honor, and to uphold a promise I made to…_someone_."

Kakashi was confused as to who Sasuke was referring to but noticed the look of recognition on Sakura and Naruto's face. He decided to ask him about it later if the topic comes up during training or missions.

"Hm, good." nodded kakash while thinking. _"Someone definitely needs to update his profile. He is no longer the broody boy after the massacre. I think Naruto and Sakura had something to do with that." _

"I guess that leaves me. My name is Haruno Sakura. I like reading, training, eating Naruto's cooking, medicines, and human anatomy. I dislike people who hate others without justification, arrogance, and perverts. My hobbies include training with Naruto and Sasuke, mastering medical techniques, and experimenting with chakra control. My dream in the future is reach Tsunade-sama's level and help my friends in their dream." said Sakura with a smile on her face which was also present in Naruto and Sasuke.

"Thank you. It's good to hear that my team has a medic but let me just say that you aren't officially Genins yet." Kakashi said with a large smile before frowning when the shock and argument he was expecting didn't come.

"Pay up!" Naruto told his friends as he held out his hand and making a 'give me' gesture with it.

"Damn you. How in the world did you know?" growled Sasuke as he handed Naruto his winnings with Sakura doing the same.

"Read some of the Academy records in my spare time. It's not taught in the Academy but the graduation exam is merely a step to become Genin, weeding out those without potential before a Jounin-sensei tests them whether they become shinobi or not." Naruto said with a smug grin on his face and pocketing his winnings. He didn't really care about the money considering the amount his parents left him but a bet was a bet after all. He then turned to Kakashi who was looking at him in shock. "Besides, the test to really become a Genin involves a fight between three of us and our Jounin-sensei to see if we can work together. We don't have to defeat him, but to determine whether we can work together or not."

Kakashi gaped at Naruto, his eyes and face showed disbelief, surprise, and annoyance. He knew that the boy loved to read but to go through the archives just to get relevant information on the Genin Test was simply too much. He saw Sasuke and Sakura giving him questioning looks, waiting for him to confirm the blonde's statement. He sighed in surrender.

"He's…right." Kakashi grumbled, ignoring the smug look on Naruto's face. "True, I will be testing you guys on teamwork but considering what you did to Mizuki and what the Hokage told me about your abilities, I think we will simply hold a spar tomorrow to see what you're capable of. So anyway, meet me tomorrow at 7 in morning in Training Ground 7. Bring your A-game with you."

With that, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving three annoyed Genins in his wake.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It was the next day that Kakashi appeared in Training Ground 7. He didn't bother to be late since he knew that his new team would make his life a living hell if he annoyed them too much. He appeared on the bridge to see Naruto reading a book, Sasuke cleaning his chokuto with a piece of cloth, and Sakura picking on her fingernails with a senbon.

"Glad to see you're all here." said Kakashi as a form of greeting before beckoning them towards the training posts in a secluded portion of the clearing since he knew that the coming spar was going to be destructive and he liked the bridge too much to accidentally destroy it when they go all out. He stopped and turned to see three expectant faces looking at him. "As I told you three yesterday, it would be useless to test you on teamwork. I learned from the Hokage that the three of you had been training together for four years now so teamwork is moot point. What we are going to do is spar, you three versus me. I want you to use all of your skills and abilities to try to bring me down. Come at me with intent to kill so I can gauge your capabilities."

The trio looked at him as if he was crazy.

"Are you sure, Kakashi-sensei? You might get hurt." Sakura asked dubiously.

"I'm a Jounin, Sakura, so there's nothing you three can do to hurt me." Kakashi said smugly. He later regretted his choice of words.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kakashi cursed as he dodged the fireballs Sasuke threw at him while ducking just in time to avoid being beheaded by a blade made of wind courtesy of Naruto. He used replacement just in time to avoid Sakura's kick and with good reason too since the log he used as a replacement was shattered to bits.

"You know I was kidding when I said that you come at me with intent to kill?" Kakashi exclaimed as he channeled chakra to his kunai to block a lightning enhanced blade courtesy of a grinning Uchiha. It would seem that Naruto taught Sasuke well since the boy didn't even activate his _Sharingan_ during the spar, a testament to his control and ability.

"As if, kakashi-sensei." said Sasuke with a smirk before grabbing Kakashi's wrist and channeled lightning chakra through it, enough to shock the man a bit and not electrocute him outright.

Kakashi twitched when he felt a mild dose of electricity running through his body and used his chakra to get rid of it. He growled in annoyance before kicking the smirking Sasuke on the stomach, throwing him back. He flipped through a set of hand signs and called out his technique.

"_**Suiton: Water Trumpet!"**_ Kakashi inhaled deeply before releasing a torrent of pressurized water at the lightning-using teen. It was a smart move since Sasuke wouldn't be using any of his lightning-based attack for fear of being affected by it being wet. He didn't except Naruto to appear in front of his comrade, his palms pointing at him.

"_**Fuuton: Great Breakthrough!"**_ exclaimed Naruto, channeling every bit of wind chakra he could into his attack. The pressurized water and gale-force winds collided fighting for dominance before cancelling each other out, spraying water everyone and drenching everyone within.

Kakashi smirked at the rather wet blonde in front of an equally wet Uchiha.

"Thanks for the assist, Naruto. With Sasuke drenched, he can't use lightning or he would end up electrocuting himself." Kakashi said smugly before noticing the amused look on the teen's face.

"You might want to look behind you, Kakashi-sensei." said Naruto, pointing somewhere behind his sensei.

Kakashi turned to see Sakura slamming a fist to the ground, causing a bunch of rocks and packed soil to fly up. He thought the girl was out of her mind but amended that statement when their in-house medic used her earth affinity along with her strength to launch a devastating attack at him, without hand signs no less.

"_**Earth Projectile Barrage."**_ exclaimed Sakura before accurately punching the floating rocks and packed earth in front of her while releasing chakra at precise moments. The debris shot towards Kakashi at Chuunin-level speeds.

Kakashi's lone eye widened as he flipped through hand signs before slamming both of his palms on the ground in front of him. _**"Doton: Earth Dome."**_

A dome of chakra-enhanced earth surrounded Kakashi from all sides, effectively protecting him from Sakura's barrage and any surprise attacks Naruto or Sasuke might be thinking up right now.

"_This is going to be a very long day."_ Kakashi thought as he stayed inside his newly-made defense, listening to the barrage of rocks hitting his chakra-enhanced dome. He lifted his headband to reveal a spinning Sharingan eye. _"I think it's fine time I show these twerps that they're messing with a Jounin."_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It was five hours later that Training Ground 7 was no longer deemed usable. The only thing that survived the sheer destruction three highly-talented Genins and one shocked Jounin was the bridge. It was on that bridge that Kakashi and Team 7 had their after-battle meeting, looking worst for wear similar to the surrounding area they just massacred thanks to their brutality.

Kakashi sighed in relief as Sakura healed the various cuts and bruises on his body thanks to the trio's barrage. The chakra pill Sakura gave him also worked on his almost depleted chakra pool. The one-eyed Jounin smirked when he saw the trio sporting their own unique injuries courtesy of him going all out, winning due to his experience in the battle field.

Kakashi watched Sasuke wince when he accidentally moved, aggravating his cracked ribs and legs courtesy of being hit by a rather powerful Doton technique he stole from Iwa; not to mention his hair looking a bit singed when he was too slow in ducking from a Grand Fireball he threw at the boy. He eyed Naruto rubbing his stomach and twitching all the while after being electrocuted by a lightning technique similar to Sasuke's Lightning Palm attack. Sakura was practically the least injured of the three since she took her role as a support base rather seriously and she had medical techniques to fall back on to heal herself immediately while in the middle of battle.

The only evidence that she partook in the battle were the various tears and burns on her clothing.

Kakashi couldn't help but be proud of his team. Sure, there were plenty of weakness to be worked out but that was due to their inexperience and not the lack of training. Heck, these three gave him a workout that only Maito Gai could give. He was even forced to use his _Sharingan_ an hour into the battle and he was actually quite surprised he wasn't in a coma from sheer exhaustion.

Now that he thought about it, he did close the eye a lot when not needed so it was quite possible that he developed the subconscious action just to conserve his energy for the spar. He made a mental note to train more with his team since he would be left behind with the pace they were going.

"Thanks, Sakura." said Kakashi to the pink-haired medic who just finished tending to his injuries. "Why don't you heal Sasuke and Naruto so we can get started with the discussion?"

"Sure, Kakashi-sensei, though I won't be healing Naruto. He should be right as rain any minute now. I'll tend to Sasuke instead." Sakura quipped as she moved to the wincing Uchiha who was eyeing her with suspicion. "Stop that, Sasuke-kin. I'll just heal you."

"No funny business?" Sasuke asked immediately, his suspicion intensifying.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Stop being a baby. Ever since you saw me practice on the fish, you don't want me touching you anymore." she chided as she channeled healing chakra to Sasuke's ribs, mending the break.

"With good reason too since the fish exploded." Naruto pointed out causing Sakura to give him a dirty look. "It's true!"

"What do you expect? That was my first time to actually use medical chakra. That was two years ago for Kami's sake. I already perfected my techniques."

"That still doesn't change the fact that the fish exploded. I swear the memories still gives me nightmare." Sasuke said with a shudder.

"Next time, I'll leave you to heal for yourself. How's that?" Sakura asked with a glare.

"I didn't say that. I'm not Naruto you know." Sasuke said with a pout.

Sakura look at his triumphantly.

"Then man it up and stop bringing up the past." she chided before cutting off the chakra from her technique. "There. You're good as new. Take it easy for a few days then you'll be in top shape."

"Thanks, sis." said Sasuke with a sigh of relief.

Sakura nodded before looking questioningly at Naruto who saw it immediately.

"No thanks, Sakura. I'm good." replied the blonde to her unasked question.

Kakashi observed the interaction between his team with interest. It would seem that the four years of the trio training together formed a bond that was way stronger than the Ino-Shika-Cho combination. If they keep this up then they would surpass the original Ino-Shika-Cho. He wasn't concerned since these three would just continue to grow, both in ability and in their bond as friends and surrogate siblings. He couldn't help but notice the trio's similarities to the _Densestu no Sannin_ – Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru. He made a special point to bring it up later.

"Alright. Now that we are all healed up thanks to Sakura, superb work by the way, let's discuss the spar." said kakashi, catching everyone's attention and interest. "I can safely say that you three are easily the strongest in your generation. Your profile in the Academy didn't say much about your skill so I chalked it up to you three hiding what you can do to keep everyone on their toes."

"Deception is a shinobi rule, sensei." quipped Sasuke with a grin, making Kakashi nod in agreement.

"Point. Anyway, in terms of the spar, your teamwork is superb as each of you complement each other. Considering that all of you trained for years, it is only safe to say that you have teamwork down pat. Now let's talk about your individuals skills."

Kakashi looked at Sakura who was listening to his every word.

"You, Sakura, is a downright monster in the field but you overestimate your strength. Keep in mind that your super strength technique is useless if you can't hit your target. You are also straightforward in your attack patterns and would wait for the opportune moment for your teammates to give you an opening to exploit. Your enemies might not expect this but I saw it and did. B to A-rank shinobi has the skills to see through the deception. My advice is to be creative in your attack routine. Be unpredictable and leave them hanging. Your hand-to-hand combat is good enough as it is but could be better and your evasion abilities is perfect at your current level. Your strength depends on chakra release during the point of impact which is ONLY the basic of Tsunade-sama's super strength. I will help train you to increase your core strength as we go along. I can't really say much about your medic skills since you healed me up quite well and I'm no medic-nin to give you an exact evaluation so you might want to go to the hospital and have someone there tutor you or something." said Kakashi, not bothering to tell her that the Sandaime already have plans for her being taught under Tsunade, that is if she comes back.

"Thanks for the advice, Kakashi-sense. But how can I improve my core strength? I'm already using training weights." asked Sakura, raising a hand showing her the weights on her wrist.

"I'll explain that when we start training in two days. Considering that all four of us went all-out in our spar, we definitely need a day to rest." Kakashi informed her, and by extension, Naruto and Sasuke.

"No problem, Kakashi-sense. I'll take your advice regarding the hospital. It should help." Sakura promised.

"That is all I ask, Sakura." said Kakashi with a smile before turning to Sasuke. "You, Sasuke, can be considered as the ninjutsu and kenjutsu expert on the team. This is where you problem lies. You put too much stock on your chakra and sword techniques which can be a liability in battle. What would you do if your enemy gets under your guard? That is the reason why you suffered cracked ribs in the first place since I know your weakness. If you want to tighten your defenses then you need to seriously up your taijutsu training. Would it be safe to say that you're already training yourself in your family's interceptor style?"

Sasuke nodded. "Hai, sensei."

"Good. Keep in mind that the Interceptor style is a defensive technique that requires the _Sharingan_ to work. You only use yours sparingly which is a testament to your skill and control, treating your bloodline as a tool instead of a crutch." Kakashi praised. "I suggest that you modify your fighting style for offensive purposes and train yourself to rely more on your hand-to-hand combat and only use your sword and jutsus when the occasion demands it. You have the earmark for an all-around fighter so I'll help you get started on that. Other than your supreme control over your lightning element, I can't say anything else."

"Hm, you do have a point." Sasuke mused before giving his Jounin-sensei a look. "Tell me, sensei, how come you have the _Sharingan_? As far as I'm concerned, that's a bloodline and I doubt you're part Uchiha."

Kakashi looked at Sasuke sadly. "I got this eye because of my friend and teammate, Uchiha Obito. I won't go into specifics but on his dying breath, he offered me his eyes since I lost mine. My other teammate, Inuzuka Rin, was the one who transplanted the eye into me."

"Wait, sensei. Is Inuzuka Rin a medic?" Sakura asked immediately, remembering the spar. The Jounin kept closing his eye in and out of the battle which was quite fishy considering that a shinobi battle requires all your senses in full alert.

"Hm, not really. She is a vet." mused Kakashi before giving Sakura a questioning look. "Why do you ask?"

"I am a budding sensor, sensei, and I am familiar with the _Sharingan_ thanks to Sasuke's clan archive and training with him every day. I think the reason why you keep your _Sharingan_ eye covered is because of the constant drain on your chakra, correct?" Sakura reasoned causing Kakashi to nod in agreement. "If it's alright with you, Kakashi-sensei, can I examine your eye? I think there is a problem there somewhere since you should be able to stop the chakra flow since it's your body to begin with. It is similar to how an eye works, even if transplanted; you should have complete control over it."

Kakashi thought of the girl's explanation, thinking it sound and had a point. He nodded to his team's medic in training.

"That is a good point, Sakura. Tell you what; if we both have time outside missions and training, I'll let you examine it. Agreed?"

"Agreed, sensei." Sakura said happily.

"Good. Now Sasuke, I have a question. Where did you learn to channel lightning and use it without hand signs?" Kakashi asked curiously. He really wanted to know how the boy did it since he was a lightning element himself.

"Well, you have Naruto and Sakura to thank for that." Sasuke admitted as he gestured towards a smug looking duo.

"Oh? How so?"

"Naruto has complete control over wind which according to his family's scroll, is a bloodline from his father side of the family." Sasuke explained. The mention of Naruto's father made the man look at Naruto in shock. "Yes, sensei, we know _who_ Naruto's father is. He was your sensei, right?"

"That's right." Kakashi nodded turning his attention towards a nervous blonde. "The Sandaime told me everything when he called me up to his office after your talk with him. I take it you're already staying in your parent's compound?"

Naruto sighed in relief. He really hated interviews. The Sandaime was enough, thank you very much.

"Yes, sensei. I live there now with jiji's blessing." answered Naruto with a large grin on his face. "I'm still tidying up the place since the garden took up residence in the whole front area of the house and the training ground needs updating. I think I can have it up and running by the end of the week, give or take a few days. We can train there since we practically wrecked this one."

Kakashi couldn't help but wince when he looked at the ruined Training Ground 7. He knew that the team assigned to the area was the ones responsible for repairing it. This would take quite a lot of D-rank missions to get the job done. It was a good thing that Naruto offered the training ground in his sensei's compound so they could slowly amass the money without compromising their routine.

"Good suggestion, Naruto. I think I'll take your offer since it's going to take a while to repair this one. Now, can you please explain to me what Sasuke is talking about regarding his affinity and how he managed to use it without hand signs?" Kakashi said with obvious exasperation.

"Actually, it was Sakura who found out that it was possible to manipulate the element we are attuned with by letting our elemental chakra react to it. I can't really explain it much since mine with wind is instinctive according to dad's scroll." admitted Naruto before looking at Sakura who nodded.

"I'll explain, sensei. You see, nature itself has its own unique energy. I think some of the books I read coined it as Natural Energy or Nature Chakra. This ambient chakra is quite open to be used but not everyone has the ability to do so. As far as I'm concerned, only those with strong elemental affinities can make use of this technique." explained Sakura. To demonstrate, she walked over to patch of dirt away from the bridge and slammed her palm onto the ground. A pillar of packed earth appeared in front of her. "As you can see, if you have a high-enough affinity of a certain element, you can practically bend it to your will by guiding it with your elemental chakra. Naruto is controlling wind naturally and instinctively due to his bloodline. I was able to do it with earth to a small degree since I can sense the ambient energy after harmonizing with it for more than a year. Sasuke gained mastery over his element thanks to his _Sharingan_ since he could see chakra so he could manipulate it easily."

Kakashi couldn't help but gape at the trio in front of him. They were prodigies if they could come up with new disciple all on their own with books and scrolls to help them out. They were able to combine their elemental chakra with Natural Energy to control the elements, not perfectly but they were getting there. What would these kids come up next?

"So what do you call this technique?" Kakashi asked a bit excitedly. "From what you told me, Sakura, this is practically a new way to do elemental jutsus without bothering with hand signs. Do you have a name for this discipline?"

The trio looked at each other for a moment before Sakura gave the discipline they were working on a name.

"We call it, Elemental Bending."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Kakashi immediately went to the Hokage's Office to report the formation of his team after dismissing the trio and ordering them to return to Training Ground 7 in two days time. He wasn't surprised when the trio decided to stay and chalked it up to their quirks before leaving for the tower. He was currently standing in front of the Hokage with the other Jounin senseis, informing the aged leader whether their teams failed or passed.

"Team 7 passed the test, Hokage-sama." said Kakashi to the shock of everyone in the room.

"YOSH! YOU FINALLY PASSED A TEAM, MY YOUTHFUL RIVAL!" Maito Gai explained while giving the bored-looking Kakashi a thumbs up.

"Gai, what did I tell you about shouting while in my office?" the Sandaime said with a groan.

"NOT TO?"

"Correct and you're shouting right now." the Sandaime pointed out causing the Taijutsu Master to blush.

"Um, sorry, Hokage-sama." Maito Gai apologized and it was clearly obvious that the man was restraining himself from shouting everyone's ears off.

"Just don't do it again." said the Hokage with a nod before looking at Kakashi. "I take it that they performed admirably as you expected?"

"Not only did they perform as expected, Hokage-sama. They surpassed it." Kakashi said with a grin before seeing the questioning looks on the other's faces. "Yes, they passed the teamwork aspect of my test but we didn't do the Bell Test this time."

"Oh? What did you test them on?" asked Asume, curiosity lacing his voice. It was rare for his co-Jounin not to give the team the standard Team 7 Bell Test. It has been a timed honed tradition since his father became part of the first Team 7 under the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokage.

"I had an all out spar with them, three to one." Kakashi replied.

"WHAT!" Kurenai exclaimed, shocked that a seasoned Jounin would go all-out on freshly graduated Genins. "That was irresponsible of you, Kakashi. What if you hurt them? That would compromise their career and…"

Kakashi raised a hand to stop the woman's rant. "Kurenai, did you notice the state of my clothes?" he asked mildly while gesturing at his body.

At his prompting, every single Jounin in the room, even the Hokage, finally noticed the torn and burned clothes the man was wearing. Even his hair looked spikier than normal and that was saying something.

"What in the world did _you_ do to look like _that_?" asked one of the Jounins in the room.

"If you _must_ know, it was my team who did this to me." Kakashi replied to the astonishment and disbelief of everyone. "Well, if you don't believe me that ask Hokage-sama. He knows the details why my team is practically _almost_ Jounin in strength. I would promote them right now but they lacked the experience from missions and expert training."

In unison, everyone's attention turned to the Hokage, the unasked question on their faces.

Hiruzen coughed before taking a long pull out of his pipe. "Kakashi is not lying."

"Are you sure, pops?" Asuma asked in disbelief. "Talented they may be, I don't think they're _that_ strong to mess with Kakashi."

"I kid you not, Asuma. The Genins of Team 7 are way ahead of their peers. After all, they trained in all aspect of the shinobi arts since their second year in the Academy and branched out from there."

"I doubt they could get that strong in a span of four years, Hokage-sama." said Ebisu, an Elite Jounin. Despite not taking a team, he was considered a part of the group of Jounin senseis since he was tutoring the Hokage's grandson, Konohamaru.

Sarutobi sighed before launching into the explanation of how Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Haruno Sakura trained themselves – starting from Naruto doing chakra control, weight training, the inclusion of Sasuke and Sakura into the group, their individual specialties and training programs, and the team spar Kakashi saw a year ago. He omitted a few things like Naruto knowing of his parents, the Kyuubi, and the jutsus he learned from Minato.

It was safe to say that everyone, except for the Hokage and Kakashi, sported shocked looks on their faces.

Kakashi, however, decided to add more to the Hokage's story.

"That's not all, Hokage-sama. It would seem that the trio hid a part of their abilities…again." Kakashi said with a hint of exasperation in his voice.

The Sandaime raised an eyebrow. "What is it this time?"

"They can do elemental jutsus without hand signs, Hokage-sama. From their explanation, they were able to use their affinity to commune with nature's energy and manipulate the element to their will. In fact, the spar I had with them was almost made up of elemental techniques and most of them were done without hand signs. It is a totally new discipline that would practically take their abilities to new heights if mastered. Oh yeah, they call it Elemental Bending since they are literally bending the elements to their will." Kakashi said dryly before pointing to his really spiky hair. "This is the result of being grabbed by a Genin while channeling potent lightning chakra with his hand. You do the math."

It was safe to say that the silence in the Hokage's office made it possible to hear the crickets chirp.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The Sandaime watched the other Jounins leave his office except for Kakashi, Kurenai, Guy, and Asuma. After hearing Kakashi's report concerning the abilities of Team 7, he needed to make sure that the rest of the teams were up to par though he doubted that they would be able to reach the level of Kakashi's team considering who's in it.

"Why did you ask us to stay behind, Hokage-sama?" asked Kurenai immediately when the door closed, leaving them alone with the aged leader.

"I'll get to that in a minute." the Sandaime promised her before turning to Kakashi. "Is your team ready to be classed as a Front Line Heavy Assault Squad?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, Hokage-sama. There are still a few things I need to train them in but with their current abilities and strength, I dare say that they'll be the best."

"Good." he said with a nod before turning to the other three. "The reason why I held the three of you back is a mandate regarding the status of your teams. As it stands, Team 7, 8, 9, and 10 are specialized teams. For example, Kakashi's will be a Front Line Assault Team that would take the brunt of any heavy duty missions not classed as S-rank. Kurenai's Team 8 is a Tracker and Investigation Team due to the bloodlines all three of your Genins have. Gai's Team 9 is a Front Line Support Team due to their expertise in taijutsu and weapons. Asuma's Team 10 is Capture and Interrogation."

The Sandaime paused as he took a long pull from his pipe and breathed out the smoke, giving the four Jounins a serious look.

"Due to the specializations of each of your teams, I want you to up their training that befits their designation. However, I want to avoid overspecialization so once a week, the teams will be training together to learn of their strengths and weaknesses to complement each other. The reason why I'm doing this is a huge possibility of these four teams working together in some way or the other throughout the course of their shinobi career. As it stands, I want all of your team to finish the required D-rank missions to accommodate a C-rank. Train them as intensely as possible within the first month while doing D-ranks. After the first month, I want you to take low C-rank missions to see how they fare."

"Aren't we going too fast in their training, Hokage-sama?" asked Kurenai, curious and a bit intimidated by what the Hokage was asking.

"I don't think you get what I'm trying to say, Kurenai." said the Sandaime seriously. "The reason why I want all of you to train your teams as intensely as possible is because of their position. Keep in mind that all of you have clan heirs among your teams, except for Lee, Neji, Tenten, and Sakura. This means that they will be targeted for one reason or the other. The reason I want you to step up your training is to make them the best in their respective position while giving them the strength and ability to protect themselves when out of the village."

"What changed, pops? As far as I remember, the only time this happened was during the Third Shinobi War." asked Asuma, face as serious as his father.

" The main reason why I want your teams to be as strong as possible is because of Uchiha Sasuke and Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto."

Three of the four Jounins in the room wore shocked expressions after hearing Naruto's full name.

"You mean to tell me…" Asuma trailed off, his face disbelieving. "Damn! No wonder the kid's that strong. He is the son of TWO Kage-level shinobi."

"Yes, Naruto is the son of the Yondaime, Namikaze Minato, and the Red Hot Habanero, Uzumaki Kushina. If word gets out that he is the heir of these two then you can be sure that Iwa and Kumo would be up in arms about it. They won't go to war just because of one Genin but they will definitely do everything in their power to bring Naruto down. Uchiha Sasuke is also of the same pedestal being the last of the Uchiha Clan except for Itachi. No one is stupid enough to go against an S-rank missing nin but a fresh out of the Academy Uchiha is a target." Sarutobi informed the four.

"So you want us to train our teams so they'll be strong enough just in case Iwa and Kumo send people after these two while out on a mission together? Is that right, Hokage-sama?" Gai asked seriously, any trace of comedic relief was non-existent due to the seriousness of what the Hokage revealed to them.

"Correct. If one of your teams works together with Team 7 and they are attacked by shinobi then we want to make sure that they survive the encounter. Not necessarily to win but can defend themselves enough to get away." the Sandaime pointed out before giving two folders to Kurenai and Asuma. "I took the time to analyze Naruto's training schedule and modified some of it to fit to your teams. I want you to implement them as soon as possible. I expect both of your teams to master the two chakra control exercises there."

Kurenai glanced at the folder before her jaw dropped. This was going to take a lot of work. She couldn't believe that the Hokage included the psyche profile of her students and included some suggestions to correct potential problems, like HInata's shyness and Kiba's brash nature. This was definitely going to be a lot of work, not that she couldn't handle it.

Asuma on the other hand was fighting an urge to take light another stick of cigarette as he read the content of the folder given to him by his father. He winced when he saw the recommendation for Anko to train his and Kurenai's team since they needed a crash course on Infiltration and Stealth. The snake-using Tokubetsu Jounin was definitely the perfect person for the job but her sadistic streak was going to scare their Genins into submission.

"Why does it have to be her?" Asuma whined making Kurenai glare at him.

"What's wrong with, Anko-chan?" said the scarlet-eyed woman with some heat in her voice.

Asuma raised his hand in surrender. "I have nothing against your friend, Kurenai, but we can't deny the fact that she's going to scare our Genins with her sadism."

"That and her penchant for using her snakes to scare people away." Kakashi quipped.

Kurenai's shoulder slumped when she heard Asuma's reasoning and Kakashi's point. Both were correct. She shuddered at the thought of Anko influencing Ino and Hinata, much worse, castrating Kiba who tended to put his foot into his mouth at the smallest provocation.

"I'll rein her in." she promised.

"I'll believe it when I see it." Asuma murmured while Gai and Kakashi snickered when they heard that.

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**Author's Note: **

**Next update will be delayed for a week or two. I'm swamped with work at the moment so I have limited time to write, free time and breaks if I can squeeze it in. Stay tuned! **

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**End of Chapter 5**

**Please leave a comment or a review. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's another chapter for you to enjoy. Sorry took quite a while for me to update since work is practically demanding almost all of my time. Anyway, the poll will end in a week and my work is going to increase by then. LOL. Have fun**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

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**Summary: Time-Travel Story. Naruto died in the Fourth Shinobi War. Kami granted him a boon, returned him to his body with his and Kurama's memories of the future intact. This time, Naruto vowed to do things differently. Powerful Naruto, Powerful Team 7, No Bashing, Not Yaoi, No ships as of yet. Slight AU.**

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**Round Two: A Naruto Time-Travel Story**

**Chapter 6**

**When Changes Happen**

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Kakashi gaped when he saw Training Ground 7 after not seeing it for two days. He expected to arrive and pick up his students before whisking them away to his sensei's training ground in the Namikaze-Uzumaki compound. He definitely didn't expect to find his favorite haunt fixed and better than the last one.

The one-eyed Jounin noticed the ground free of any craters they made during the spar. Sure, it lacked any form of grass but at least the floor was level. The fallen trees were made into an obstacle course that looked quite appealing. New posts were erected and training dummies in one portion of the clearing, some of them marked for target practice or accuracy training.

All in all, Training Ground 7 was better than ever and he had a feeling that his students were behind this.

Speaking of students, the trio was currently in the middle of the training ground doing their own thing while waiting for him to appear. Sakura was kneeling on the ground, eyes closed and one hand on the soil. Kakashi could feel a weak pulse of chakra being transmitted into the ground below and he had a feeling that this was part of the discipline of their Elemental Bending, this one specifically geared towards earth.

Naruto and Sasuke were in the middle of a Kenjutsu spar but it was obvious that the Uchiha was taking it easy since Naruto was new to holding or wielding a blade. Kakashi's heart skipped a beat when he recognized the 4-foot long katana on the blonde's hands. There was no mistaking the red hilt and the tassel hanging off at the end. Naruto was wielding his mother's prized blade, _Benihime_.

"Good morning, my dear Genins." said Kakashi, deciding to make himself known. He amended that thought since there was a sensor in the group; it was quite possible that they already knew that he was around. He was right when Sakura pointed it out.

"Took you long enough to join us, sensei. You were just outside the boundary of the training ground for five minutes now." said Sakura who looked at him with a smile. "Hope you like what we did to the training ground."

Kakashi nodded. "I take it that you three did something?" he asked the sole female in their group.

"Uh huh. I used my affinity towards earth to remove the craters and smooth out the surface. Sasuke was the one who decided to use the fallen trees as training post and carved some of them into dummies. Naruto helped and used shadow clones to clean up the area and created the obstacle course." explained Sakura before looking at Naruto and Sasuke who was oblivious to anything as they go through the basics of kenjutsu in a mock spar. "Kakashi-sensei is here!"

That did the trick. Naruto and Sasuke immediately sheathed their blades, the latter more fluidly than the former who had the weapon on his back supported by a red sling. The duo joined Sakura in front of Kakashi who was smirking at them.

"Interested in kenjutsu, Naruto?" Kakashi asked the blonde who nodded immediately. "Considering that you're making _Benihime_ your own, I daresay you discovered your mother's kenjutsu scrolls?"

Naruto looked at his sensei in shock.

"How did you know the name of my mom's sword?" Naruto all but demanded making Kakashi smirk. He didn't know that his sensei knew of his parents' legacy. Well, maybe of his dad but definitely nothing on his mom.

"You forget that I'm a student of your father, Naruto, so I definitely know your mom, her sword, _Benihime_, and her kenjutsu style. In fact, it is because of how she wielded _Benihime_ and her mastery of the Uzumaki Sword Style that she was well-known as the Red Hot Habanero that even the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist feared to face her." Kakashi explained to the astonished blonde. "Did you know that your mom's blade is special?"

Naruto nodded. "I know that Benihime has special abilities similar to the swords of the Mist Swordsmen but I haven't tried them out yet. I read them briefly in my mother's training journal and I need to master the basic sword katas before I can even hope to use them."

Kakashi agreed with the blonde's explanation. The Uzumaki Sword Style was one of the most complicated kenjutsu maneuvers in the Elemental Nations. Not only was it unpredictable that the _Sharingan_ would be hard-pressed to copy it, the style also incorporates different attack combination called "dances" that made it a very powerful sword style to learn.

"You're on the right track, Naruto. I can't teach you how to wield a katana since I'm a tanto user but I'm sure that Sasuke can help you with that. I'll also introduce you to a friend of mine who specialized in kenjutsu to give you a tip or two. Don't expect it to be soon though since we are going to be very busy with training and missions." said Kakashi as he made a mental note to talk to Yuugao or Hayate to help Naruto a bit in wielding a blade.

Now this perked the trio's interest.

"What do you mean, Kakashi-sensei?" asked Sasuke, very interested in the idea of getting specialized training from an expert. Sure, they trained for four years but having an experienced shinobi helping them would be a boon to their future goals.

"Hokage-sama had a meeting with some Jounin senseis. It would seem that certain events came to pass that forced the Hokage to rethink the basic training regimen of the Genin teams and to assign them specific roles in the field and mission." Kakashi explained, inwardly happy that his team was definitely mature enough to listen to his words instead of interrupting him. "Simply said, the Hokage wanted three things to happen."

He raised a finger. "One, you will be trained to a much higher level to make sure that you three become an effective Front Line Assault Team. Two, once a week, there will be a joint training sessions between Team 7, 8, 9, and 10 since they all have their designations and specialties. Lastly, the Hokage wanted us to finish at least 30 D-rank missions for this month alone so we can get started with C-ranks next month."

This information stunned the trio as they looked at each other excitedly. Their excitement was brief since they immediately reined it in much to Kakashi's approval.

"What specialties are we talking about, sensei?" asked Naruto, his mind already recalling certain memories of Team 8, 9, and 10 during the previous timeline. It was sad to say that he wasn't that familiar with their capabilities except for a few he was close with or faced in a battle, like Lee and Neji.

"Let me see, Kurenai's Team 8 is a Tracker and Infiltration. Asuma's Team 10 is Capture and Interrogation, and Gai's Team 9 is Front Line Support."

Sasuke nodded with a thoughtful frown on his face. "That's not so surprising if you think about it. Team 8 is composed of an Inuzuka, a Hyuuga, and an Aburame – definitely a tracker squad. Team 10 is obvious too with a Yamanaka and Nara. I'm not sure what an Akimichi's role is in that group but Chouji would be the muscle I guess. Who are on Team 9, sensei?"

"Rock Lee, a pure taijutsu specialist since he was born without the ability to channel chakra. Hyuuga Neji is considered as a prodigy of the Hyuuga's Branch Family and last year's Rookie of the Year; and TenTen is a weapon specialist. Speaking of which, who is the Rookie of the Year in your batch?" he asked curiously, eyeing the trio. Two fingers were pointed to a smug looking Sasuke.

"Sasuke is the Rookie of the Year, sensei." answered Sakura before looking pointedly at the smug boy. "Don't be so smug. You won the award by _two_ points. If Naruto didn't miss on the accuracy test then you both would tie for the award and would duke it out in a taijutsu spar. I think we both know how _that_ would turn out."

Sasuke winced. Despite his strength, there was no way he was going on a pure taijutsu match with Naruto who had vaunted stamina and had more strength training than he did.

"Fine. If we had an elimination match then Naruto would have won since he is way better than me in pure hand-to-hand combat. I could practically dodge him using my _Sharingan_ but I would run out of stamina before he does." Sasuke retorted with a huff resulting in Naruto to sport a smug smirk directed at him.

"Alright, that's enough bickering from the two of you." Kakashi scolded the two who pouted for having their debate interrupted. "Now, I don't think I need to teach you how to train yourself since you did a pretty good job of it for the past four years. However, to make it more challenging, I'm going to introduce the use of Gravity Seals."

Naruto cocked his head to the side since he hadn't heard of this seal yet even with his father's notes. Sakura and Sasuke who didn't have sealing knowledge merely looked confused.

"What's the seal for, Kakashi-sensei?" asked the blonde, curiosity afire.

"Glad you asked, Naruto. This was actually a training tool introduced by your father. You see, the standard training weights you are using body's core strength. However, this would only serve bulking you up if you're not careful. Gravity Seals on the other hand is applied to the whole body, increasing the gravity so that you will feel yourself heavy and sluggish, forcing you to exert more effort just to move. This in turn trains your entire muscle group while training you to be faster.

"So does this mean we have to ditch our weights?" Sakura asked, not really liking the idea of bulking up. An image of a muscled shinobi with jiggling assets didn't appeal to her. She shuddered at the thought. "Please say yes!"

"Yes, Sakura, you three won't be using your training weights starting today. I will place the seal on you in a bit after our discussion and I will teach you guys how to activate and reactivate it. Upon the seal's activation, you will feel a large weight pressing down your body and cause some resistance as you move. The only way to move normal is to continuously channel chakra to your muscles until it is second nature. This, in turn, improves your chakra reserves as you get used to your training. I will up the Gravity Seal when you're used to it, meaning, you can move at normal speed without straining yourself."

"Where will the seal be applied, sensei?" asked Sakura since she was already envisioning her entire body covered in seals. She could live with the tattoo but she doesn't want to undress in front of his surrogate family or his sensei. If all else fails, she would demand for a female to apply it on her.

"Don't worry, Sakura." said Kakashi since he already knew what Sakura was thinking; a normal reaction for those not versed in sealing. He looked at Naruto who had a look of realization on his face. "Care to tell your teammate where the seal will be placed, Naruto?"

"Theoretically, from what you said, there are three areas in the human body for such a seal to work properly. One is on the nape, the middle of the back, and on the chest." Naruto answered immediately thanks to his experience in body-applied seals.

"Correct. I guess Sakura would be having the seal placed on her neck while Naruto and Sasuke would have it on the chest." Kakashi informed them. "Also, I will be training with you guys since the spar we had was an eye opener. I think I need to challenge myself a bit since you ALMOST beat me in our spar and I have no intentions of that happening."

"Is that a challenge, Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke asked with a smirk, mimicked by Naruto and Sakura.

"Yes, that is, in fact, a challenge to you three." Kakashi said, smirking on his own.

Oh yes. This was going to be a fun training for all four of them; Kakashi would make sure of that.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Naruto burst out of the foliage he was hiding in and grabbed the surprised cat before stopping its movement with a carefully restraining seal he slapped on its back. His knowledge of fuuinjutsu grew immensely as his army of shadow clones got to work with the Sealing Arts while he and his team progressed through their month-long training sessions with Kakashi, Anko, and the other rookie teams.

Kakashi was honest with his intention in making the best out of them and turning them into the perfect Frontline and Assault Team that Konoha could be proud of. After a brief explanation of what was expected of them, they immediately started with a strict training regime that would make Maito Gai crow in delight from the intensity of it.

For starters, each of them was given the Gravity Seal to train their speed and strength without bulking up. They had problems with it at first but they couldn't deny the fact that the first month of having the seal activated on their person made them stronger than using the average weights. Kakashi trained them in tactics, some supplementary jutsus to add to their repertoire, honing their taijutsu, and sometimes indulging in kenjutsu spars with Sasuke and Naruto to give them some experience with their weapons.

When Naruto asked why he didn't train them in ninjutsu; Kakashi merely answered that they don't need it with their new discipline. When they mastered their respective elements, elemental techniques wouldn't be a problem. However, Team 7 decided that they would be using the vast arsenal of jutsus presented to them by the Uchiha and Namikaze-Uzumaki libraries to equip them with techniques outside their elements. After all, it doesn't hurt to be diverse in their capabilities since surprise was a shinobi's greatest weapon.

Anko's contribution to the team was to introduce them to the Forest of Death and a game of Cat-and-Mouse that spanned the entirety of the death trap known as Training Ground 44. If they were honest with themselves, Team 7 had fun hiding and ambushing Anko while ensuring that none of the predators made them their next meal. It was an unorthodox method in learning stealth but they couldn't deny the fact that it worked since Anko was practically a master of it despite her brash and noisy attitude.

Kakashi also made good with his promise to introduce kenjutsu experts to Sasuke and Naruto. Hayate and Yuugao taught the two once a week, pointing out errors in their stances, helpful tips to improve their swordsmanship, and sparring with them to add to their experience. Despite only meeting once a week, Naruto and Sasuke made most of their teaching by crossing blades every day to master their respective styles in handling the blade. They also included Sakura in their lessons, though it was along the line of exposing the girl to weapon-wielding opponents since she was mostly a fist fighter so she definitely needed the experience on how to face enemies who used sharp and pointy things to make her life a living hell.

Interacting with the other teams during the weekends was also an eye-opener for Team 7, especially for Naruto who practically saw that he made quite a change in this timeline compared to the last one. This time around, the teams were no pushovers since his actions caused the Sandaime to take a hand in the team's training program, demanding the Jounin senseis to put their respective teams through the ringer.

Naruto couldn't help but see the difference in the Rookies compared to the previous timeline.

Team 8 was definitely a tracker team. Kurenai immediately placed them in a stringent training program which includes survival training, upping their individual skills, improving their tracking abilities in regards to the use of their bloodline - the latter was mostly during Tora Catching missions. She also made a special point to work with Hinata to improve her confidence since it was bringing her down. This was somewhat successful when she got rid of the girl's stuttering on the second week.

Team 9 was still the same though and not much changed in their training program since Gai already has everything well in hand. However, the spars they had with Neji, Lee, and Tenten were definitely a welcome experience since it opened them to pure taijutsu combat.

It was Team 10 that Naruto saw the biggest change. Asuma definitely made good with his promise to train his team to the best of his abilities. Shikamaru was less lazy, Ino trying to control her fan girl tendencies when around Sasuke, and Chouji gaining muscles thanks to their physical training program. Asuma also pushed them to learn more of their clan techniques to make them stronger and more flexible in the field.

For Team 7, the month was scheduled accordingly to make sure that they get the most out of their training and spars, interacting with the rest of the rookies, and of course, doing D-rank missions as many as they could to clear them for a C-rank. It helped that Naruto made use of his solid clones to add to the numbers. They cleared the mark for a C-rank mission but Kakashi was adamant to finish their one-month training schedule before undergoing a higher ranked mission.

As it stands, the current mission – catching Tora, the Fire Daimyo's Wife's Cat – was their 52nd D-rank mission and they would be getting a C-rank next week. Unlike other Genin Teams who viewed the Tora-Catching mission a hellish experience, Team 7 found it easy since the Naruto had the foresight of placing a Tracking Seal on the cat's collar after catching it the first time.

Thanks to that, they held the fastest record of catching Tora under 15 minutes. Since they could easily find Tora through Naruto's seal, they made it more challenging by coming up different ways to catch the troublesome feline – ambush tactics, use of restraining seals, barrier seals, ninjutsu practice, and even outright destruction to scare the feline when Team 7 was feeling too vindictive to care.

"Tora acquired!" Naruto exclaimed with a grin while holding the frozen cat. It was a good thing he immediately slapped a restraining tag on the cat the moment he got the thing in his hands or he would be mauled immediately when in range of its claws. He learned the first time and quite thankful of his healing factor or he have looked like a scratching post after that mission. He still wondered how the cat's claws shredded his clothes since the durability seals would have protected it from the assault.

It cemented their assumption that Tora was a demon cat sent by Kami to torment Genins.

"Good work, Naruto." said Sakura, jumping down from the branch she was perched on. "I swear. If we have to catch the cat one more time after this, I'm going to bury it so deep it wouldn't be able to dig its way out."

Sasuke chuckled while coming out of the foliage from the north. "What's the current count?" he asked his teammates.

"This makes 27." Sakura all but growled before turning to the forest where she sensed Kakashi watching them. "I hope you do well with your promise to give us a C-rank mission, sensei. If we have to catch this…this…abomination one more time, Lady Shijimi would have to get a new pet to smother."

"Mah mah, I did promise that you'll get a C-rank after this, Sakura. When did I ever break a promise with you guys?" Kakashi asked with an eye smile as he strolled out of the forest without a care in the world. One of the positive sides of having a competent team was the lack of supervision needed for missions. Since they only did D-ranks, he need not watch over them, giving him time to relax and watch the show, which wasn't much since watching his team do chores wasn't really all that fun to begin with. He used Team 7's D-rank mission to catch up on his reading though since he was woefully behind on the latest Icha Icha series that came out last month.

"None so far which is a good thing, sensei." said Sasuke, happy in how Kakashi took a hand in their training, helping them improve in their individuals skills at a faster rate.

"Well, since we already have Tora, why don't we return and train with our elements? I have some ideas for a defensive technique so I need some time to practice it if I want it battle ready for our next mission." offered Naruto, itching give his new technique a go after thinking of it last night.

"Oh? What is it?" asked Sakura curiously, silently agreeing with his teammate's idea. She was making a huge headway in manipulating her element but techniques were limited. She might be considered smart but her creativity wasn't really that good to begin with compared to the two.

"Knowing Naruto, he'll end up creating a destructive technique again." Sasuke quipped with a snicker.

"That was only one time!" Naruto said with a pout, causing the snicker to turn into a laugh. "How am I supposed to know that my first wind bending technique turned into a twisting funnel of destruction?"

"You did destroy the training ground." Kakashi pointed out, remembering Naruto's first experiment with his so-called wind bending. The blond was aiming to fire off a wind blast but the slight rotation of his hand caused a twister to form that destroyed a good chunk of the training ground and uprooted a few good size trees before dying down. "I hope you have good control over it this time since Sakura would have to be the one fix things with her ability to control earth to a degree."

"Agreed." Sakura agreed immediately with a nod since she was getting tired of using her affinity to smoothen out the training ground. It's not like she didn't want to do it but it gets tiring after doing it a couple dozen of times, even if she did contribute a lot to the destruction with her super strength.

"Fine." said Naruto before looking at Sakura. "I got this idea for a defensive technique after watching Neji perform Kaiten when I sparred with him last week."

"Kaiten? Oh, you mean the swirling dome of chakra he used to block your _Shuriken Kage Bunshin_." said Sakura in remembrance. After all, it wouldn't be practical to hide such a powerful defensive technique when there were hundreds of shurikens raining down on you from above courtesy of Naruto overpowering the weapon replication technique.

"Right," Naruto agreed. "From what I could tell, Neji released a large amount of chakra while spinning to form a stable dome that made up the Hyuuga's absolute defense. I was thinking of using Wind to create a dense twister around me to mimic the same effect. I'm not sure how it would turn out though since wind is technically harder to control than chakra."

"That is a good idea, Naruto, but you need to think about its power too. From what I can tell, a twister or a wind construct that size and power would end up destroying everything around it. I'm sure it would be useful if you're surrounded by enemies but what if your teammates were around you when you performed it?" Kakashi added his two cents, silently agreeing that such a technique would be a great defensive maneuver but considering Naruto's element, it was a double-edge sword if not used properly.

"I know, Kakashi-sensei. That is why I want to see what happens when I put it into practice. I need to see how it constructs itself before tweaking it a bit." Naruto informed his one-eyed sensei.

"Good. Since your shadow clones can do the bending thing, why don't you assign a few of them to perform it? A technique of that caliber, not to mention the amount of Wind you will be generating to create the defense, would likely hurt you. Clones are dispensable and you get their memories when they dispel so you will still learn what they experienced afterwards."

"That's a good idea, sensei. I think I'll do that." Naruto agreed. He mentally berated himself for not thinking of using shadow clones to train his Wind element sooner despite the fact that he abused the technique in learning fuuinjutsu.

"Now that we have a plan, let's hurry to the tower and return Tora to Lady Shijimi then head to Training Ground 7 for a bit of training before calling it a day." Kakashi commanded as he sped up some more, not worried that his team wouldn't be able to catch up.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The Sandaime Hokage took a long puff out of his smoke before sensing the presence of his student. He was expecting him last week but it would seem that his spymaster was busy.

"Took your time answering my summons, Jiraiya." Sarutobi said calmly even if he was the only one _visible_ in the room.

A tall man with long spiky white hair seemed to materialize from one corner of the room, a smirk on his face.

"I was in Kaminari no Kuni when I was visited by your summons bearing a letter." Jiraiya informed his teacher. "I had to finish briefing my spies in that area before coming here. You mentioned that this has something to do with Minato's kid?"

"Yes, the reason why I called you here is because of _your_ godson." said Sarutobi, emphasizing the man's relationship to Naruto causing Jiraiya to wince.

"You know the reason why I couldn't take care of him, sensei." Jiraiya argued.

"I know. No matter how much I argued with you, I know that your reason is sound since you've been supplying vital information over the years. However, the reason I called you here is because of certain events that happened that requires your hand in his training."

"Why? Did something happen to Naruto?" Jiraiya all but demanded. Despite the fact that he wasn't around to take care of his godson, it doesn't mean he didn't care for the boy. In fact, he was the one supplying the Sandaime with money for the boy's weekly allowance since the orphan stipend wasn't enough for his taste.

"Nothing _bad_ happened to Naruto but something _did_ happen." said Sarutobi before digging out a folder from his drawer and tossing it to his student who easily caught it and perused its contents, eyes getting bigger as he went through the information of one Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto.

"Is this for real?" Jiraiya exclaimed in disbelief. He knew that Minato was a master in the sealing arts but he didn't expect his student to take it one step further. To seal a part of his and his wife's soul into their only son to teach him was definitely something he didn't consider.

"Everything in that file is real, Jiraiya. That is my personal copy. I omitted some facts from his _public_ profile to protect him from the more…radical residents of the village. But yes, everything you read there is real."

"Damn! Who knew Minato was this talented in the sealing arts. I went through his notes on the Shiki Fuujin and the Hakke Fuin Shiki but I didn't know about sealing a part of his and Kushina's soul into the seal as a failsafe." Jiraiya said in excitement and pride. "I also read the part that Naruto had full control of his tenant's chakra. Is this for real?"

"Oh yes, that's definitely real alright." Sarutobi said dryly. "You might want to turn to the next page since I included there all the information Naruto provided from his conversation with Kyuubi."

Jiraiya stared bug-eyed at his sensei before flipping to the next page, his eyes in danger of popping out of their sockets.

"HOLY MILKY FRESH NIPPLES OF KAMI! UCHIHA MADARA IS ALIVE?" Jiraiya shouted causing the Sandaime to inwardly sigh in relief since he already blanketed the room in a privacy jutsu of his design, ensuring that the white-haired man's exclamation didn't reach unwanted ears.

"If I didn't put a privacy jutsu up around the room, I would have punched you silly right now for being carried away by your emotions." Sarutobi all but growled. "And yes, the information there is correct and I have no doubt that Kyuubi _is_ telling the truth. It makes sense if you really think about it. Out of all the bijuus, only the Kyuubi rarely attacked – summoned by Uchiha Madara during his battle with the Shodaime, the Kinkaku Brigade in Kumo, and finally, its attack during Naruto's birth."

"Who knew that the Sharingan has enough power to control the most powerful bijuu in the Elemental Nations." Jiraiya muttered. "No wonder the Kyuubi wanted to stay in Naruto's seal. It is relatively safe there. Maybe Madara has something to do with this new group I keep hearing about."

"New group?" the Sandaime asked curiously.

Jiraiya nodded. "I heard from one of my spies in Amegakure about the existence of a group of S-rank missing-nins calling themselves the Akatsuki. They appeared after Hanzo was defeated but they are quite silent with their plans. However, my spy was able to overhear a drunk Ame shinobi about their master's plan in making use of the bijuus for something. That's all I got at the moment." He admitted, not liking the idea of such powerful rogue group escaping his notice or his lack of information about them. It rankled his ego as a spymaster.

"I see. This is disconcerting news. If Madara is spearheading the group then surrounding himself with S-rank criminals will definitely prove a problem in the future." the Sandaime said coldly, not liking the idea of power hungry individuals targeting his surrogate grandson. He was thankful that Naruto was strong and able to take care of himself but the boy needed to be trained some more to protect himself from S-rank rogues. "Make sure that your spies keep their ears open about this Akatsuki, Jiraiya. I don't need to remind you how big a threat they are in regards to Minato's legacy and the safety of this village as a whole."

"Don't worry, sensei. The first time I heard that tidbit, I doubled the number of spies I have around the world to make sure that I don't miss anything important. That is one of the reasons why I was late in coming. I was interviewing a potential spy in Kumo's ranks. It took a lot of fast talking but I got the person to agree." Jiraiya said with a smug smirk on his face.

"Oh? From your tone, I daresay that this spy is someone among the Raikage's ranks?" Sarutobi said midly, impressed that his student infiltrated Kumo's strict ranks.

"You bet." Jiraiya nodded eagerly. "In fact, these two contacted me and not the other way around. They sought me out and offered to become my spies in Kaminari no Kuni regarding the Akatsuki. I won't be surprised that they were also looking out for themselves when they volunteered."

"Who are these…spies?" Sarutobi asked, now afire with curiosity.

"The jinchuurikis of the Nibi and Hachibi, Nii Yugito and Kirabi." Jiraiya smugly.

Sarutobi was gobsmacked upon hearing thenames.

"These two volunteered? Just like that? No propositions or conditions?" the aged leader asked incredulously. Spies were paid for their services and the information they presented to their employers, and he doubted that the two of the most talented shinobi in the Raikage's ranks would want money. No, if they offered to be Jiraiya's spies then they _needed_ something and he knew that they _wanted_ something from the man.

"Well, not precisely but their request is actually quite something." Jiraiya said in a wistfully.

"What?" Sarutobi urged, annoyed at his student for holding back crucial information and leaving him hanging.

"Well, they asked me if I could set up a meeting with them and Naruto in the future." Jiraiya said calmly. However, that calm didn't manifest in the Hokage's reaction to that statement.

"They did WHAT?" Sarutobi screamed before reaching down under his desk and pulled out a fresh bottle of sake. He definitely needed the alcohol to calm his nerves.

Jiraiya smirked at his sensei who was drinking from the bottle, taking long gulps and ignoring good manners. "They _know_ his status as the Kyuubi's host. I don't know how but they do. They are not asking for anything except the possibility of talking to Naruto in the near future."

"You agreed to this?" an incredulous and disbelieving Sarutobi asked, his thoughts running a mile a second in the possibility of a spy in the village leaking information to Kumo's ranks.

"I did but I made sure that it wouldn't endanger my godson in any way." Jiraiya said, a bit insulted at what his sensei was implying. "I told them that if they want to meet Naruto then it would be within a monitored environment and within Konoha's walls. In fact, they even suggested meeting the brat sometime around the Chuunin Exams six months from now."

Sarutobi sighed in relief before giving his student a look. "Are you sure they are legitimate in their request? No side missions? I think you remember what the Sandaime Raikage ordered when he had a Hyuuga Main Branch member abducted a few years back." he pointed out.

"No worries, sensei. I will be there when they meet Naruto. I'm not letting anything happen to my godson." Jiraiya promised before a smirk crossed his face. "Anyway, it says that Naruto knows the _Rasengan_ and is in the process of learning the _Hiraishin_. Looks like Minato made good use of his year inside Naruto. Did Kushina teach him anything?"

"Just the basics to get him started; nothing in terms of clan techniques but from what Kakashi told me, Naruto already took up his mother's sword and learning from her training scroll. I wouldn't doubt that Naruto would be picking up style since he is already showing good control over it."

"Oh? Kakashi is teaching his the brat? I hope he isn't holding back in making my godson strong?" Jiraiya said ominously. Sure, Kakashi was one of his die hard Icha Icha fans but he wouldn't tolerate the man's laziness in regards to his godson's shinobi training.

"Trust me; Kakashi is definitely going all out with his team. In fact, last I heard from the Jounins, Kakashi is now training himself up to his old strength as an ANBU Captain. I think your godson and his friends motivated him enough to do so. Heck, he even challenged Gai to a fight last week during one of his team's breaks."

Jiraiya now looked at his sensei in disbelief. "Really now? That's definitely new in what I know of the Cyclops. So, who are my godson's teammates?"

"I knew I forgot something when I made that file." Sarutobi murmured to himself, berating himself for not updating Naruto's shinobi information, both his private one and the one for the archives. "His teammates are Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. Check the third page, you might be surprised at how well he is with his teammates…or surrogate siblings if I understand the complexities of their relationship."

Jiraiya gave his sensei a long look before following the man's advice and flipped to the next page. Ten minutes later, Jiraiya grabbed the sake bottle from a smug Sandaime Hokage before taking a long drink.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"No wonder you ordered me to find Tsunade." grouched Jiraiya. "You want her back so she could train Haruno Sakura as an apprentice." The Sandaime nodded. "You do know that she won't accept that order right? She vowed never to return to the Leaf and her sojourn throughout the Hi no Kuni without even coming near Konoha is proof of that."

"True." the aged leader agreed with the Toad Sage's assessment of the errant Slug Princess. "However, I can do something that would practically force her back to the village without a fuss."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Do tell, sensei."

"You seem to forget, Jiraiya, that despite Tsunade being a Sannin and her vow of never coming back to the Leaf, she is still a shinobi of Konoha. If she doesn't want to come back as ordered then I would be forced to mark her as an S-rank rogue shinobi." the Sandaime said coldly much to the shock of his white-haired student.

"You can't be serious, sensei."

"I am quite serious, Jiraiya. Despite her status as the current head of the Senju clan, the Princess of Konoha, one of the Densetsu no Sannin, and being known as the Legendary Medic of the Elemental Nations; she is still and always will be a shinobi of Konoha. She didn't retire nor turn in her shinobi license. She is currently using her Sannin travel rights to enter every settlement, village, or town around Hi no Kuni. I, being the Hokage, can easily order her to come back."

"But to label her as a rogue?" Jiraiya repeated in disbelief.

"I think she had enough of her tantrums." the Sandaime said forcefully. "She will come back to the Leaf, one way or the other. I have no choice in the matter, Jiraiya. For my plan to work, I need her to come home."

"For what? There are only two things I can think of that would fit her qualification. She will either head the hospital or…" Jiraiya ticked off before his eyes widened in realization. "Don't tell me you want her to succeed you as the Godaime Hokage?"

Sarutobi nodded solemnly. He stood up from his chair and went to the window, offering him a grand view of the village.

"I am old, Jiraiya, too old to be holding this position. I should have retired when Minato took over but I was forced to take up the role as the leader again because there was no one qualified to take the mantle and I certainly won't appoint Danzo as the Hokage or that would lead to chaos and bring the Leaf to its knees." Sarutobi said with a sigh. "I am not going to step down as of yet but what I plan to do will help me improve this village and to protect it from future threats. I can only do so if Tsunade and you are here in the village."

"If you're not going to make Tsunade the Godaime Hokage as of yet, why do you need the both of us?" Jiraiya questioned with a hint of challenge in his voice.

"I already drafted a plan for the rehabilitation of the Leaf." the Sandaime said simply as he returned to his chair. "The first step is to take down the civilian council. They overstepped their bounds and made their powerbase solid enough when Minato died that it would be quite difficult to bring them down. With you two, I can easily implement the first step of my plan."

"I know the council is not what it used to be when the Shodaime and Nidaime started Konoha so a little bit of house cleaning would certainly help. But how are you going to do that and why Tsunade and I?"

"The first step is to replace my advisors. You and Tsunade will take Koharu and Homura's place."

"I think you're getting senile in your old age, sensei." Jiraiya said dryly, not liking the plan one bit since being an advisor would force him to stay in the village. He needed to be out and about to concentrate on his spy network and his…research. "You know I can't leave my spy network alone."

The aged leader frowned. "You don't fool me, Jiraiya. I know very well how your spy network runs and I know you can easily use your toad summons to send messages back and forth. After all, you and Minato did perfect the messenger seal but haven't released it to the public yet."

"How in the world did you know that?" Jiraiya exclaimed, shocked that his sensei knew his and Minato's secret project. In truth, he was already using the messenger seal, allowing his spies to send him messages when he was out and about the Elemental Nations.

"Easy, I read Minato's journal." Sarutobi said with a grin. "You already know that he kept a journal during his reign as Hokage, so of course, I have access to it."

"Fine. You win." Jiraiya all but growled. "Why do you need to replace your advisers? They were your teammates. They couldn't be that bad."

"Oh no, Jiraiya, that is exactly the reason why I want to replace them." Sarutobi said dryly. "Our history as teammates made them a bit too…informal in treating me as the Hokage. Also, it was Koharu and Homura, along with Danzo I might add, who pushed through with the decrees that gave the civilian council their power base. It was these three that made a mockery of the Konoha Council. With the two of them gone, Danzo is the only one left since he is the steward of the Uchiha Clan thanks to some calculated moves on their part. With Danzo alone, without the backing of the Shinobi Council, I can easily remove the Civilian Council's power from underneath them. I can boot them out or assign new ones in their place."

"That…is a very sound plan, sensei." Jiraiya said thoughtfully before a doubtful look crossed his face. "How are you going to deal with Danzo. You and I both know that despite having none of the civilians backing him up, he still has his influence in the village, not to mention his 'bodyguards'."

"His ROOT you mean? I know it's still around but I already have a plan to deal with the old warhawk."

"Oh? Do tell?" Jiraiya asked curiously causing the Sandaime to smirk, making the Toad Sage realize that the Professor and the Kami no Shinobi was back in the game.

"Simple, if you can't beat them…force them to submission under the threats of death." Sarutobi declared with a cold smile that sent shiver down Jiraiya's spine.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Team 7 entered the Hokage's Office sporting expectant and excited faces. They were going to get a C-rank mission today and Naruto wanted something good to give them a challenge. He knew that it won't be the Wave mission since he remembered that was given to them three months after they became Genin. Naruto was quite adamant to get that mission.

"_**Don't worry about it, kit. If I know fate, and I definitely do, everything will happen the same way as the last time." **_said Kurama.

"_You can't really say that, partner, and I don't believe in fate. Besides, you can see the difference in this time compared to the last one."_

"_**Point."**_ Kurama admitted. _**"All I'm saying is that if it happens then it happens. It's no use stressing yourself about something that is beyond your control."**_

"_You mean to tell me that there's nothing I can do to get that mission?"_

"_**I didn't say that. I know you can come up with something to push things in your favor but my gut feeling is telling me that things will happen the same way as last time."**_

"_Fine. "_ Naruto admitted. He couldn't deny the fact that his tenant was right. No use stressing about things beyond his control and it would give him away if he did meddle just to get the Wave mission. He would just have to leave things to chance and trust in his luck to work things in his favor. _"I just realized I miss seeing the sights outside the village. I wonder if I'll be traveling with ero-sennin this time around."_

"_**Possible."**_ Kurama answered before releasing a loud yawn. _**"I'm going to take a nap. Good night, kit."**_

"_Good night, Kurama."_ Naruto said before cutting of the mind link between him and the bijuu, focusing his attention towards Kakashi talking to the Hokage. He felt a nudge from his right. "Yes, Sakura?"

"Talking to your tenant again?" Sakura whispered.

"Yeah, before he went to sleep." whispered back. "He told me to stop fretting about what mission we would be getting since there's no way to pick them unless Kakashi-sensei gives us the option."

"True. Don't worry though since this would be a step up above D-ranks. C-rank missions include bandit extermination, escorting merchants and prominent figures, and courier missions. Whatever it is, we'll be leaving the village for a few days or a week at most."

"Where in the world did you get that information?" Sasuke asked with a bit of awe. He was always amazed at how Sakura could find such information despite not having a shinobi-oriented family.

"I asked Ino's dad. I visited her yesterday for a bit of catch up." she answered with a shrug. "Since her dad was there, I asked what a C-rank mission entails. Since he was not revealing anything classified, he told me all about it. Did you know that some senseis use C-rank missions to expose their students to killings?" she asked with a shudder.

Sasuke and Naruto's eyes hardened at the idea of taking a life. They knew that it was inevitable to take a life with the occupation they chose and they discussed it once over dinner. They would take a life if they had to but their primary objective when faced with an enemy was to incapacitate and capture. If that fails then killing would be the last choice.

"Yes, we know. We DID talk about that before and…my tenant told me that it is normal for shinobi to kill during missions. However we are still on with our plan to only resort to taking a life as a last resort, right?" said Naruto, not liking the idea of killing one's opponent.

"If there is no other choice." replied Sasuke with Sakura nodding in agreement. "I wouldn't mind getting that out of the way since I want to be desensitize to killing. I will do it but it doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Agreed." said Naruto. "Seems like Kakashi-sensei is done picking a mission for us."

"Alright, team. We have our first C-rank mission. Considering that this is your first, our mission is to deliver a package from the village blacksmith to a client of his in Otafuku Gai. This will be a 5-day mission so pack enough for that duration. We will meet in two hours at the center of the merchant's district to pick up the package from our client before deliver it to his client. Understood?"

"Hai, sensei." The three exclaimed in unison.

"Good. You're dismissed for now." Kakashi ordered and watched his team exit using the standard Konoha Shunshin.

"Quite a team you have there, Kakashi."

Kakashi turned around to see a white-haired man standing beside the seated Hokage, a smile on his face. The one-eyed Jounin definitely recognized the man as the sensei of his departed sensei.

"Jiraiya-sama." Kakashi greeted in his usual lazy drawl. "And yes, I am quite proud of my team."

"From the way they handled themselves, I definitely see a resemblance to my team before certain…issues came up." said Jiraiya, making a face. This train of thought caused the aged leader to wince, remembering his wayward student.

"I see that you also noticed the resemblance, Jiraiya. Naruto would be you, Sasuke is Orochimaru, and Sakura as Tsunade. The three has the making of becoming the new Sannin of Konoha if they keep growing in strength and power." The aged leader mused, rubbing his chin in thought. "Are you planning to let Naruto sign the Toad Contract?"

"I think I should. It is Minato's wish after all." Jiraiya replied with a grin.

"Are you sure that's wise? It's a bit early for Naruto to do summoning." Kakashi stressed, not wanting his student to suffer…complications by going too fast though he grudgingly agreed to himself that Naruto could handle it.

"Considering that your blonde student has the chakra capacity that would make any Kage green with envy and the skills to use them? I think your student is ready Kakashi." Jiraiya pointed out with Kakashi agreeing since it was true. Naruto definitely had the chakra reserves and control for summoning. He could even summon the boss a dozen times without getting winded though he doubted Gamabunta would like that.

"Fine. When? Not this week obviously since we have a mission."

"Definitely not this week. I still need to track down an acquaintance of mine." said Jiraiya while giving the smoking Hokage a look that spoke volumes while patting a bulge on his side pocket, a bulge that came in the form of a scroll containing a missive from his sensei to Tsunade. "How about next month?"

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Next month then. Anyway, I have a mission to prepare so I'll see you later, Jiraiya-sama, Hokage-sama." he said and bowed to the two before leaving the room in a Shunshin.

"You're right. He's definitely stronger than last time." noted Jiraiya when he used a bit of his Senjutsu to sense Kakashi's strength. It was definitely stronger than last time, not the same level when he was an ANBU Captain but getting there.

"I did tell you that he was training along with his team. Now why don't you proceed with your own mission? You have a month to track your…prey and considering her nature, she would be quite a hard to find." Sarutobi pointed out to a disgruntled Toad Sage.

"You don't have to remind me." Jiraiya said dryly. "I already sent a message to all my spies around Hi no Kuni to keep an eye out for Tsunade, Shizune, and that pet pig of theirs. I'll start with my search since I haven't gotten any news from them as of yet."

"Good. You're dismissed."

"See you in a month, sensei." said Jiraiya before jumping out the window making Sarutobi sigh.

"Why can't he use the door?" the aged leader grumbled.

* * *

**End of Chapter 6**

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